Immortal Guardian
by silvermaiden19
Summary: Slight-AU. Fifteen years ago, a mysterious silver-haired young man appeared at the Kiryuu residence. He becomes Ichiru's brother and the family's sworn protector. Now, a resident at Cross Academy, he brings with him secrets that would tear Kaname's world apart forever. ZxK/KxZ
1. 00 In the End is the Beginning

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the Vampire Knight characters that would be appearing in this story. This fanfiction is only done for fun and entertainment. =)

**Summary: **AU. Fifteen years ago, a mysterious silver-haired young man appeared at the Kiryuu residence. He becomes Ichiru's brother and the family's sworn protector. Now, a resident at Cross Academy, he brings with him secrets that would tear Kaname's world apart forever.

**Full Summary: **Fifteen years ago, Zero mysteriously appeared at the Kiryuu residence and befriended a three-year old Ichiru. His close bond with the young child prompts the Kiryuu couple to adopt him as one of their own. Several years of peaceful existence was then shattered by a pureblood named Hiou Shizuka. With the death of their parents, Zero takes Ichiru to Cross Academy and promises his younger brother that he would take care of everything including their revenge against the pureblood. There he meets Kuran Kaname, another pureblood vampire. That fated meeting starts a chain of events that would unravel everyone's secrets as past enemies resurface, manipulations abound, and allegiances tested.

* * *

**Immortal Guardian**

00

_**In the End is the Beginning**_

* * *

"_Nii-san may not be my biological brother, but he means the world to me. He's the only family I have left and I won't allow anyone to take him away from me."_

_Ichiru Kiryuu_

* * *

"_Ichiru-chan's gotten too attached to his big brother, doesn't he? I've never seen him happy l__ike this before. He smiles and laughs a lot more now than he did in the past, Shirou."_

"_It might be because he's never been loved like this before, Madoka. We've been too strict with him ever since our other son died before he could be born. As the sole heir to the Kiryuu name, we trained him so hard to become a vampire hunter. He must've noticed how different we acted from normal families. We've been so aloof with him, only spending time with each other to train. He must've craved this kind of loving attention. After all, he's only a child."_

"_I guess we made a right decision to take Zero-kun into our household even though we never really knew him that well. That child could be so tight-lipped about his past. It's not like I care about the fact that he's never really from this world or that he's older than what his appearance shows. He's still my son."_

"_He'll come around eventually. You know how he is, stubborn to a fault. You nagging about the issue won't make him change his mind."_

"_He inherited that from you, Shirou. You're both so stubborn and secretive. I only hope that he didn't inherit any of your less acceptable characteristics."_

"_The way you talk about Zero-kun shows that Ichiru-kun isn't the only one attached to him."_

"_Well…Zero-kun's pretty much the kind of young man I want our child to grow up to be. I hope Ichiru-kun learns from his example. The last thing I need is to have another you, Shirou."_

"_Come on, I'm not that bad."_

"_I won't be forgetting any time soon what kind of teenager you were. A lot of our friends consider it a miracle that I chose to settle with you and have a family. You know, I just realized that our family is complete now. We finally have our two children and each other. I don't want to lose this happiness."_

"_We won't, Madoka. I swear to you that I'll do my best to protect our family no matter what."_

**- xXx -**

A man who looked to be in his early thirties with silver-amethyst eyes and long silver hair, sat behind a mahogany desk crammed with various papers and documents. His attire consisted of a simple black long-sleeved shirt and denim jeans. He was too intent on perusing a particular paper that he failed to notice another presence joining him in the room.

"Overworking yourself like this all the time isn't good for your health, Tou-san. You should seriously stop being so stubborn and at least take a short rest. You already look dead on your feet."

Kiryuu Shirou looked up from the document he was reading when he heard the familiar soft voice say those words with a hint of irritation. He smiled warmly as he gazed at the hooded stranger who appeared from out of nowhere and was currently standing in front of him.

He remembered back then that he used to flinch or jump in surprise every time his eldest son appeared in this same manner. It wasn't a common occurrence for someone of his caliber to be caught off guard so easily. His son seemed to have no notions of privacy when it came to this household and always entered the room unannounced with absolutely no care in the world.

His son was clad in an all-black ensemble like always. He wore a long-sleeved shirt, pants, and ankle-high lace-up boots. His hands were encased in leather gloves and finally, a trench coat with a hood. The large hood was currently pulled up and cast his face into the shadows. On his neck was an intricate amulet on a silver chain necklace that fell to his chest.

It was a sigil.

A crest that symbolized his son in the world he belonged in.

To the untrained eye the crest looked like a sunburst of golden wire. But the design was in fact an image of a tree, the roots and branches intertwined to form a never-ending circle. The dark blue stone set in its trunk symbolized the tree's heart.

It seemed like the only bright color that could be found the black-clad young man was his eyes. They were usually silvery-gray like Shirou's but today; they were a bright shade of blue. It caught the warm light of the office so it looked like they glowed on their own. Shirou had noticed since long ago that his son's eye color shifted to different hues of blue depending on his current emotion.

His wife had a field day when she discovered that particular tidbit of information. She had forgone her usual calm and collected persona as she went to many lengths to see how many shades of blue her son's eyes could go. She even commented on how Zero was like a giant mood ring and needless to say, his son wasn't amused.

"Hai, hai. There's no need to nag me about it all the time, Zero," Shirou replied casually as he gestured for his unannounced visitor to sit on an armchair. He placed the document back on his desk and lounged back on his comfortable chair. "I swear that you're a lot worse than Madoka in nagging," he muttered under his breath and hoped that his son didn't heart it. But sadly for him, Zero did hear it.

The black-clad young man sighed in exasperating before settling down and said in a resigned tone, "I would not remind you all the time if you listened to any word I said and I'm sure that Kaa-san is of the same opinion. But again, your legendary stubbornness keeps on rearing its ugly head and you become as immovable as the mountains outside."

Shirou looked outraged and glared at his son. "I'm not _that_ stubborn and I do listen to you, Zero. When have I ever ignored your advice?" he asked in a highly affronted manner and crossed his arms on his chest.

Zero opted to gaze at him pointedly instead of answering the question.

There was a few seconds of silence.

"Okay, fine! I _sometimes_ ignore your advice. But I really need to finish the documents I need to submit in the Hunter Association," Shirou said as he gestured towards the numerous unfinished files sitting on his desk and waiting to be completed.

"Even so, you're tired and cranky and you need to take a rest. Pushing yourself isn't going to do anyone any good," Zero flatly pointed out.

"Am not cranky!" Shirou protested in a childish tone.

Zero palmed his forehead and sighed once again as he came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to win this argument. Time for _Plan B_.

"Very well. If I help you finish your paper work faster, will you take a rest?" Zero asked and his father's bright smile was his answer. He moved the armchair closer to the desk and reached for the few stacks of paper. He begun working on it and was unaware of the affectionate look that Shirou was currently sending him.

Zero had been the one constant presence in this family. The young man was always there when they need him the most. After eleven years since his arrival, it was safe to say that he too had gotten very attached to his extremely mysterious son.

It wasn't even hard to like Zero. The young man who appeared to look in his early twenties had a personality he could not help but be fond of. He was gentle and quite good in dealing with kids, seeing that he took good care of Ichiru all the time especially when he and Madoka were busy with their job. He was also polite and always there to help fix any problem. All in all, Shirou was quite proud at how Zero turned out to be.

His musings were suddenly cut short when said subject of his musings spoke.

"You shouldn't have to face this problem by yourself, Kiryuu Shirou. You know who I really am and what I am capable of. I'm perfectly competent in dealing with this kind of setback," Zero said, his voice as sharp and cold as a knife edge. His eyes shifted to a midnight blue. It showed exactly how serious he was.

Shirou winced at the tone of voice as well as the form of address. It was times like these that he was starkly reminded of how old his son was compared to him. He followed Zero's gaze and his eyes came upon the envelope containing information about his latest kill – the pureblood woman's ex-human lover. He had a nagging suspicion about the order and was trying to find some details he missed.

"Despite that, you're still my son. I'm not going to send you into danger all by yourself. It's a parent's job to protect their children," he replied in a serious tone. "I don't care if you're not from here or you're far older than me. Nothing would change the fact that you're still Kiryuu Zero. My eldest son and a heir to the family name."

"It's because you're my father that I'm willing to do this. Do you think I can just stand by and let you run headlong into danger by yourself," Zero replied.

"I love you and your brother so much that I'm willing to pay any price to keep you both safe."

Zero's eyes turned to a blue to icy that Shirou swore there were little icebergs floating around the irises.

"What if the price you are talking about is your death?" Zero said, his voice full of warning. "How could you expect me or Ichiru to let such a thing happen? _You're just going to throw away your life like it's nothing?_"Shirou didn't reply and averted his eyes. It gave Zero all the answer he needed as he continued, "We love you as well. Besides, Ichiru's only fourteen and he still needs your guidance. I can't teach him everything about being a vampire hunter. I'm not even one so how would I guide him on that path."

Zero knew that he couldn't let his father do what he wanted. He knew that Shirou was far too selfless for his own good. If he acted now, would he be able to do something about the repercussions of that last mission? He had been acquainted with purebloods in the past and he knew for certain that some of them can carry a grudge that would only be appeased by spilling blood.

"I know what you're thinking," Shirou said as he stood up and placed a hand on his son's head, ruffling it lightly. Despite the fact that Zero existed for a long time in those other worlds and was truly hundreds or even thousands of years older, the black-clad young man sometimes still acted like a teenager. And like one, Shirou knew that Zero would do anything for him even if it was irrational. "I don't want you to jeopardize yourself anymore. You were trying so hard to make yourself scarce in order to live peacefully with us. You've managed to hide yourself for eleven years and I don't want it all to go to waste. So whatever you're thinking, Zero, don't do it. Don't hurt yourself for my sake."

"…You're being unfair."

"I'm not. I care about you and I would hate myself a lot if I let you suffer because of me."

Zero sighed before replying, "The same goes for me. But I guess I won't win this one. I know when I'm fighting a losing battle. Just promised me that you'll take care of yourself."

"I promise. And you know that I'm someone who never breaks any promises, right?"

Zero smiled slightly in return. "I know."

"You should leave now before a _certain someone_ starts to sulk. I know that Ichiru's been itching to spend the rest of the day with you. After all, you promised to take him to town today and you haven't at the house lately. He missed you a lot."

There was a light sound of footsteps heading towards the office and Zero stood up preparing to depart.

"We'll come back before nightfall, Tou-san," Zero said softly as the shadows started to gather around the wall. Within a few seconds, there was a doorway. He walked towards it and with a cheerful wave, he disappeared as if he was never there in the first place.

Shirou watched his son leave with a sad smile on his face. Zero had always looked out for their well-being and all throughout the years; he just couldn't stop hurting him. He never really delved into his son's past but he had a nagging suspicion that it wasn't all good. Zero certainly made an impression that he wanted to forget about it as much as possible and contented himself with the present. Maybe that was the past was the reason why Zero acted the way he did. Shirou could see the pain and anguish on those sky blue orbs and he wished he didn't have to add more in there. He knew that his selflessness was at fault and hated knowing that it was because of him that Zero was going to suffer more than he should.

'_I try not to think about the loved ones I lost because of my mistakes, Tou-san. I don't want to feel sorry for myself and I don't want others to feel sorry for me either.'_

He breathed deeply and schooled his features as he waited for his wife to enter the office. The door opened and he narrowed his eyes when he saw the urgent expression on her face. He instinctively knew that whatever she was going to tell him, it wouldn't be good.

"Shirou, _she's_ starting to move. That woman's going to be here soon. Did you finally send them both away?" Madoka asked as she began trying her long, blonde hair into a ponytail.

"Zero just left with Ichiru and they're on the way to town. They're going to be all right. Knowing Zero, we shouldn't worry about them," Shirou said as he too began to prepare for the confrontation with the pureblood who was heading straight towards them.

_Take care of each other always, my precious children…_

**- xXx -**

Kiryuu Ichiru smiled widely as he walked alongside his older brother. He had always been fond of Zero, probably more than his own parents. Ever since he could remember, Zero had been there for him. Always playing with him, watching him train with their father or sitting next to him when he was sick with fever. He knew the truth regarding his older brother but he didn't care about it at all. Zero was his brother. His family. That was all that mattered.

They had left the house hours ago and he enjoyed every second he spent in this town with Zero. He told his brother a few minutes ago that he wanted to try out the new café around the corner. He had noticed his brother's fondness of teas so he thought that Zero might enjoy the place.

As he got closer to the shop, he saw a yellow and blue awning waved over a circle of wrought-iron tables. Despite the cold, people huddled down in seats, drinking espresso, eating, reading papers or books, or chatting. The café's inside dining area looked as busy and full outside. Behind the etched plate-glass window, harried waiters cleaned tables and took orders.

A bell jingled when they entered. Ichiru looked around for a moment before taking a seat close to the window, but still far away from anyone else. His brother took a seat opposite his. It seemed that his brother deemed it okay to pull down the hood of his coat.

Immediately, a waitress stepped over and took one look at his brother before bursting out into a healthy blush. Ichiru smirked as Zero sighed at the usual reaction. "What would the both of you like to order?" she said as she took out a notepad and pen.

The both of them gave their own orders. With that, the waitress ran off, getting the orders sent out. Ichiru noticed that she was still blushing and sneaking glances at Zero.

It was quiet for a few moments, listening and watching the people that entered and left the café. Some conversations were easy to pick up on while the others were more hushed, whispering among each other like they were sharing a secret. Finally, Zero spoke up, "Whatever you're going to say to me, don't say it."

Ichiru chuckled. "I wasn't going to say anything," he said with feigned innocence.

"I've spent the last eleven years in your company, Ichiru. I know you better than anyone else," Zero stated flatly.

The waitress came back with their orders, placing down a cup of hot tea and a small sandwich on Zero's side and a cup of coffee and cheesecake for Ichiru. She soon excused herself and went to wait on some other tables that had been occupied not too long ago.

"About my request…" Ichiru ventured cautiously. A week ago he had asked his brother to train him as well. He had seen how strong Zero was and he knew since the beginning that his older brother was well-versed in the hunter arts no matter how much he denied it.

"Wasn't Tou-san or that other hunter training you already in the advanced arts?" Zero asked as he took a sip of his tea and found it acceptable.

Ichiru poked his cake as he refused to meet Zero's eyes. "They do. But I wanted to learn more as soon as possible. I mean, I want to be able to help our family as well. Even when we went on missions, you're still the one doing the most. You're the one always in danger…" he trailed off, remembering how often Zero protected him from those Level E's.

Zero looked at his brother fondly, he really missed this kind of interaction. He knew the reason why Ichiru wanted to get stronger as soon possible. Seeing this kind of resolve, he realized that he wouldn't be able to say no to the request.

"All right," he said finally and he watched as Ichiru perked up at his response. "Even if I'm your brother, I won't go easy on you. Prepare yourself."

Ichiru beamed. "Hai, Nii-san."

The rest of the time was spent in small talk and plans for their training. It was during that time that Zero felt a shift in the air. Something bad was happening, he just knew it.

Ichiru saw his brother stiffen and watched as he hurriedly paid for the bill. "Nii-san?" he asked in confusion.

After leaving the café, Zero dragged Ichiru towards a deserted alley as he decided to act on his instincts. Without wasting any more time, he called to the shadows. It congregated towards him and Ichiru. A few seconds later, they were gone.

**- xXx -**

Zero reappeared along with Ichiru outside their house and he knew instantly that he was far too late to save his parents. He could smell the coppery scent of blood even from this distance. He clutched Ichiru closer to him, silently offering his younger brother reassurance. As he pushed open the door, he was frozen in horror at the scene that greeted him.

Shirou was a crumpled mess on the floor. His clothes were dark with blood and he could see so many scratch marks on his body. Madoka lay face down on the corner in a pool of blood, her throat slit from ear to ear. The wall, furniture and tiles were spattered with deep red stains. The living room looked like a battlefield and on the floor laid his father's prized weapon and his mother's weaponry like knives and needles.

_I lost them again. Why do I keep losing them so early like this? I tried so hard to keep them safe and it still isn't enough._

Ichiru's sudden cry of despair brought him out of his unmoving state.

He rushed towards Shirou, the hood of his coat flying back and revealing his features in the light. His short hair was a shade of silver and styled in an untamed manner with some locks falling over his forehead and almost covering his eyes. He was paler than normal and his eyes were currently the shade of lavender with flecks of silver.

He couldn't stop the pain stabbing in his heart as he saw his parents' lifeless bodies. He dropped to his knees beside Ichiru, wrapping his arms around his grieving younger brother. Ichiru reached up and wrapped his arms around his neck, uttering strangled sounds as he buried his head into Zero's neck. His body was a tight coil of pain around Zero and his tears cool feathers on Zero's skin.

_Too late._

Those two words kept on repeating in Zero's head and it took all of his willpower not to break down on the spot. He should've prevented this from happening. He already had his suspicions that something was amiss and he knew that his parents would always place the lives of their children above their own regardless of the fact that he could fight well enough on his own. He should've done something. _Anything._ But it was too late – far too late to change what happened.

"I can't believe that both of you would pull this stunt on me again. No matter what world I'm in the both of you are always the same. Always trying to protect me and Ichiru even at the cost of your lives," he whispered, sounding more hurt than angry. "It wasn't supposed to end like this, Tou-san. Yours and Kaa-san's life wasn't supposed to be cut this short. You even broke your promise to me, Tou-san. You said you never break any promises…"

Zero knew he should've cried, showed his grief physically just like Ichiru. But no matter how much he hurt, the tears wouldn't come. It had been like that for many years. His tears had been frozen for so long that he finally became incapable of the act of crying.

"My, my. How touching this little scene is," a mocking voice said all of a sudden.

Zero hastily pushed Ichiru behind him as he stood up and stared at the woman who appeared from the doorway. She had long, silver-white hair and eyes that were an unusual shade of pink. It reminded him of the color of cherry blossoms. Her pale, white-colored kimono was stained with blood – his parents' blood.

It took a lot of willpower on his part to remain calm and collected. He knew that it wouldn't do him any good to show his enemy any sign of weaknesses that could be used against him. Also, his anger wouldn't help him in this situation. It never had in the past and he was sure that it was the same here in the present.

"I thought these hunters had no other relative aside from their only son. I wonder who you are; you look far too much like them. The resemblance is quite uncanny though you fell more _unnatural_ compared to them. As if you're not human," she stated with curiosity coloring her tone. Then as if a switch was flicked, her calm features twisted into an angry countenance. "Stand aside and let me deal with that child. I'll spare your life as an exchange." She watched as the man refused to back down. She couldn't help but admire his defiance. Maybe she would turn him and keep him to herself until she grew tired of him. "You're as foolish as them but I like your courage. No one had ever looked at me the way you have. After I kill that brat, I've decided to take you for myself. Or I could kill you too. It depends on my whims." Her eyes bled to scarlet and her aura flared.

Zero's blank expression didn't waver in the face of the pureblood's power. He squeezed Ichiru's shaking hand. Silently telling his brother that he wouldn't let anything happen to him. "I have no intention being your plaything. Nor dying today or in the future. After all, my purpose isn't over yet," he replied calmly. _I doubt she could kill me. Many have tried and failed. _"Even though you are a pureblood, if you dare touch my brother, I will kill you_,_" he continued in a now deathly cold voice.

The area around them was now filled with tension as they eyed each other with something akin to revulsion and anger. Stormy silver colored eyes glared at bright crimson ones.

In a split second, Zero's eyes flashed into a bright electric blue as his magic detonated in a deafening explosion of white and collided with Shizuka. It blew the pureblood away and she crashed through a large tree and out on the other side in a storm of leaves and splinters. He warned Ichiru to stay put as he went out of the house and stood a few meters away from Shizuka who was steadily getting up. Her clothes and hair were in disarray. She was also scratched in various places but the wounds were healing at a rapid rate before his eyes.

There was a stunned look on her features as though she couldn't believe what happened.

"I am giving you this warning, princess of the Hiou family, the last of your clan," Zero said as his voice took on a hard edge. "You had your revenge against my family, you will leave my brother alone or else I'll make sure you won't live to see another sunrise."

Shizuka started giggling, but then the giggling gave way to full blown laughter. Zero merely narrowed his eyes on the display.

Once she had gotten control of herself, Shizuka gazed at the young man with amusement. Her manner was back to the gentle one from before. "You're quite an entertaining individual. You are not human yet you don't seem to be a vampire as well. I wonder what you are and what secrets you're hiding. Such a mysterious man. Tell me your name and I shall leave that child alone…_for now_," she stated softly.

"Kiryuu Zero."

Cherry blossoms started to circle her form as she smiled at him. "This won't be the last time we'll meet, my dear Zero." With those parting words, she disappeared as though she was never there.

Zero stood unmoving as he contemplated about what he would do now. He had come to this world on a mere whim. He went to the Kiryuu's to see this world's Zero only to find out that his counterpart had died soon after being born. He was supposed to leave afterwards but somehow, seeing Ichiru as a child prompted him to act irrationally. He remembered so long ago that his younger brother had always craved love and understanding. Something he couldn't give Ichiru before and was the cause of their rift that ended in a tragedy.

Three year old Ichiru looked so lonely that time that he couldn't help but do something just to make it disappear. He introduced himself to the child and that little meeting had started off a series of other ones that ended up with Ichiru becoming far too attached and unwilling to be parted with him. He knew sooner or later he would be noticed by Ichiru's parents, which happened just like he predicted.

Shirou and Madoka had accepted him after hearing his side of the story. They had a hard time believing at first but after seeing what he could do, they were forced to accept that what he told them was the truth. The two had given him a home and loved him unconditionally. They treated him like their own and he treasured those years.

That was why he now made a promise to them that he would remain in this world and protect Ichiru to the best of his ability. Until the day, Ichiru would be able to stand on his own. He had plenty of time to waste, it wasn't like he could die easily and this would kill off some boredom he had been suffering from.

After all, nothing kills an immortal faster than boredom itself.

He was brought out of his musings when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. He looked behind him to see Ichiru.

"Tou-san and Kaa-san are both gone. What are we supposed to do now?" Ichiru whispered sadly, burying his face against his brother's back. He was so thankful that Zero would be there for him. He couldn't even imagine a world where he would be the only Kiryuu left.

Zero's eyes softened as he looked at Ichiru. "I'm sorry. I should've been here to protect them from that pureblood."

Ichiru raise his head and gazed at his brother. "It wasn't your fault, Nii-san." Ichiru paused before saying softly, "You won't leave me too, right? You'll stay with me always?"

_So different from the Ichiru I knew from my world. I acted the same, an overprotective older brother, but instead of hating me, he loves more for it. I wonder why,_ Zero thought for a second. He smiled warmly as he stroked his brother's cheek gently. "Of course I promise that I'll always be here for you, Ichiru." _Until you find your own way in this world and not need my guidance anymore._

**- xXx -**

**Four Years Later**

"Come on, wake up! How long are you planning on staying in bed?"

Zero twitched in irritation and buried himself further into his blankest in an attempt to get back to sleep. It felt far too nice and warm within the covers and he was in no mood to leave the soft confines of the bed. Either way it was a weekend and so, there was no good reason for him to get up early for anything. He wasn't going to waste such precious rest time just to deal with Kaien's morning antics.

Letting out a sigh of relief when he heard nothing but silence, he let himself start to drift back to sleep, pulling the sheets closer together…except the annoying voice came back louder than before.

"Don't go back to sleep! Stop being lazy and let's go eat breakfast! I'm the one who cooked the food so I want you to eat it too! Get up! Get up!"

There was an annoyed huff following those words and then a shove came onto his back. Zero rocked back and forth at the movement, his head swaying slightly from the action. This seemed to wake him up a little bit more before he ignored everything again when it ceased. He stubbornly refused to give in to this person's whims, but when the shove came again and again, to the point of bordering past annoyance, he was sorely tempted to retaliate by throwing a pillow against the offender.

Resisting that childish temptation, he made a grumbling sound and rolled around under the covers to glare at the person who dared to disturb him. Who he saw made him pause for a moment. That long silver hair and mischievous silver-amethyst eyes could only belong to one person.

_Kiryuu Ichiru._

His annoying brat of a brother.

"Finally! Let's go eat breakfast!" Ichiru said, his voice laced with obnoxious triumph. His older brother was now awake! He pointedly ignored the glare Zero was currently sending him.

Zero gave up trying to go back to sleep and instead, got up from the bed. He ran his hand through his messy silver hair and gave an exasperated sigh. It was really too early to deal with these tiring antics.

Ichiru chuckled at his brother's reaction. Zero truly wasn't a morning person especially if he stayed up late doing his job. "See you at the kitchen," he said cheerfully as he ran out of the room.

With no choice left, Zero began his early morning routine. Half an hour later, he went down to the kitchen dressed in a simple black shirt and denim jeans. His expression softened at the scene that greeted him. Every one here was just too full of warmth and they chased away the darkness inside of him. It was too different from the place he came from.

He had never known such things before and he found himself wanting this peace too much. That was why he wouldn't let anything happen to these people. He would protect them no matter what happened. Especially from that pureblood woman. Or anyone else who would dare to harm those he deemed precious to him.

He had not forgotten what Hiou Shizuka did four years ago to his family. Her act would never be forgiven and he had resolved himself to dealing with her when the right time finally came.

"Good morning, Zero-kun!" Cross Kaien said in an overly cheerful manner.

Zero noted that nothing much had changed with the man since he met him four years ago. Though he had no right to say such things since he too had not changed at all. His appearance was still that of a male in his early twenties just like fifteen years ago. In terms of clothing, he was more fashion oriented and he tried his best to blend in whereas Kaien seemed to enjoy wearing very odd and outrageous ones like the oversized lion slippers or that frilly pink apron that Zero vehemently refused to wear whenever it was his turn to cook.

"Good morning," he replied as he took a seat next to Ichiru. He turned his gaze towards Yuuki who smiled shyly at him. The petite brown haired girl had always acted that way towards him though he never understood why. She was much more open towards Ichiru and sometimes he could see them arguing about mundane things. He wondered briefly if it was because he was older than her or something about him unnerved her.

"So…Zero-kun, about my proposal from before…" Kaien ventured cautiously after a while.

Zero blinked and tilted his head to the side. He thought about it and remembered the conversation that took place a week or so ago. "Oh, that. Teaching classes at the academy, right?" Kaien nodded in assent. "It's not like I have much of a choice in that matter. Accepting a teaching post would be beneficial for me and besides, I haven't repaid you enough for helping me and Ichiru after that tragedy."

"Are you sure about this, Nii-san? After all, you've spent all of your life trying not to gain any sort of attention from anyone outside our family. If you started teaching in the academy, rumors are bound to spread and it might reach the Vampire Council or the Hunter Association," Ichiru said with a hint of worry in his eyes. His older brother was the only family he had left in this world and he didn't want anything to happen to him. Zero was strong but there was only so much a single person could do against a number of enemies.

"It's fine. This was bound to happen sooner or later. I think that it's about time I step out of the shadows and into the open," Zero replied seriously as he shared a look with Kaien. "Besides, there's no need to worry about me. I can take care of myself quite well. Nonetheless, thank you for your concern, Ichiru."

Ichiru blushed and pointedly looked away.

"By the way, you'll have to meet the dorm president of the night class. Just like in the day class, you'll be teaching them the Literature subject. It might help make your class easier if you establish rapport with Kuran Kaname. After all, the whole night class respects and follows his orders without question. I assume you've heard of him?" Kaien inquired.

"Why would Nii-san have to get along with that bastard? He doesn't need to be friendly with a guy like that," Ichiru stated heatedly. He ignored the indignant look that Yuuki shot him. He had met the pureblood before and sufficed to say, he didn't like the pureblood one bit. That vampire's condescending attitude just rubbed him the wrong way. He couldn't even stand seconds in Kuran's presence without wanting to deck him.

"Language, Ichiru," Zero chided softly. "Yes, I've heard of him. He's quite famous among the hunter community. But this will be my first meeting him in person. I do hope that he isn't like the other purebloods I've met so far."

There was a wicked gleam in his eyes that only Kaien and Ichiru managed to catch. The former sighed as he thought about the trouble that would ensure at that meeting. He had forgotten that Zero had a sense of dark humor that he could never get used to. Now that he thought about, Touga or even Kaito would definitely like Zero. He was hundred percent sure that they would get along nicely.

Meanwhile, the latter only smirked in amusement, trying to wonder how that meeting would play out. Knowing his older brother, it would be far from civil. After all, Zero had a habit of doing whatever he wanted and refused to be tied down by anything. His older brother had always valued freedom. Quite the opposite of the pureblood who was a stickler for rules and regulations. A meeting of two opposites. He definitely wanted to see that.

"I guess I'll find out soon, right? I can't wait to finally meet the infamous Kuran Kaname…"

* * *

**-chapter **00** end-**

* * *

**Silvermaiden's Notes**

Yay! Silvermaiden19 is finally back after a very long break or hiatus! A lot of things happened the past few months that made updating a bit impossible back then so I apologize for making everyone wait for the new chapters. On a good note, none of my stories are going to be abandoned. For those who've been waiting for an update in Final Code and Destiny's People, the next chapters are going to be released as soon as I've finished editing the past chapters. Return to Innocence would be remodeled into a new improved version. And I also have three new stories on the making.

_Immortal Guardian_ would loosely follow the canon storyline but with a few changes (as seen here in the pilot chapter) that would definitely affect the events that would happen in the whole story. The relationship between Kaname and Zero would be an eventual one. I'm quite excited in writing about how they would interact with each other as well as how their relationship would form staring from scratch.

Feedbacks and comments are always appreciated. It would really help me in developing this story and possibly inspiring me to keep on continuing writing this new project of mine. =)


	2. 01 Something Else Entirely

**Immortal Guardian**

01

_**Something Else Entirely**_

* * *

"_There's no end to forever, and I am forever. I don't think anyone can handle the concept of it. Everything I've ever known has had a beginning and an end. The only thing that hasn't ended is my life."_

_Zero Kiryuu_

* * *

"_I've seen so many strange things in this world but believe me when I say that yours is the strangest of all, Zero-kun. You have to admit that anyone else would find what you told me to be some product of an overactive imagination. Many would believe that you're spouting of nonsense and deem you to belong to an institution of some sort."_

"_Yet despite that fact, you still chose to believe that I'm not originally from this world. You accepted the fact that I'm someone who doesn't belong in this plane of existence."_

"_It's because you made sure that I had no other choices except to believe you. To see is to believe and you showed me exactly what you could do. It's the only feasible explanation left aside from you being a product of some illegal experimentation. *sigh* So, what brings you to ask me for assistance?"_

"_I need a place for me and my brother to stay for a while. A place where I would be able to move in secret and do what I need to do in this world. There's no cause for worry because I would make sure that your precious students won't be harmed in the crossfire that would ensue should the truth about me be discovered. I give you my word that I would protect everyone should the time come. In exchange for your help, I would assist you in matters that wouldn't endanger Ichiru. Do we have a deal?"_

"_You're quite good at deal-making, Zero-kun."_

"_Is that a yes?"_

"_Well, I do owe your parents to keep you both safe from danger so it's a deal, Zero-kun. The academy would be a good place in my opinion and I welcome the both of you to stay with me."_

"_Thank you."_

"_No need to thank me. For the assistance, I only need you to do one thing for me."_

"_What is it?"_

"_I'm currently in need of a freelance vampire hunter. Are you up for hunting rogue vampires terrorizing the town where you'll be staying from now on?"_

**- xXx -**

Zero sighed as he gazed blankly at the setting sun.

He was currently settled on top of a tall building where he could view the world much clearer. He could see the other buildings surrounding him since he was on peak of the highest one, miles upon the ground to the point that he couldn't see the people who were walking aimlessly in the streets or could barely make out the vehicles making their way through the roads.

His feet were dangling over the side as he sat on the edge without a care despite being one trip away from falling to his death. Being so far up the ground, the wind gently ruffled through his silver hair. To him, it was pleasant feeling, this small freedom.

He suddenly tossed his head back to gaze at the slowly darkening sky.

He had always liked the view from above because it was magnificent. Even useless and ugly things looked beautiful from up there. No matter which world he visited, he always spent a bit of time doing something as mundane as this. It was a habit he couldn't seem to break no matter how hard he tried. He would always be visited by an urge to get a glimpse of the whole world he would presently live in.

Silver-amethyst orbs stared out into the distance once he pulled away from the sky, watching as the world became bathed in darkness.

The excessive noises of people in the streets below couldn't be heard at this spot and the silence was what he needed the most to organize his whirling thoughts. Ever since he came to this world, his boring life had changed. His dull existence with nothing else to do was gone and he welcomed that change wholeheartedly. How long had it been seen he had this much fun?

It really felt as if his life had meaning again.

The excitement this world and its inhabitants brought made him feel _alive._

Much more alive than he had felt for so many centuries.

His expression became grave and serious as he thought about tomorrow. It would be the day he would begin teaching the night class students at Cross Academy and where he would cease hiding his very existence from the world. It would be eventful since it would mark the beginning of everything that would either end in happiness or tragedy.

_No point in pondering about the future,_ he thought dismissively. Especially since he knew that his future stretched on to infinity. What mattered to him was the present and right now, he had a certain job to finish. He pulled the hood of his coat over his head and fingered the weapon he borrowed from Kaien.

It was finally time for a _hunt._

With that thought in mind, Zero vanished from the building using the shadows that converged upon him. And reappeared instantly at a deserted alleyway in front of an abandoned building where Kaien mentioned that several rogue vampires used as a hunting ground.

He entered and looked around. He guessed he was in a warehouse of some kind. The interior was surprisingly clean. Junk had been moved off to the side, and there wasn't any broken glass lying around. Tires were stacked in the corner by a pile of battered sacks and wooden crates. Those crates were numerous and the way they were positioned, heaped together, created numerous hiding places for his quarries. Moonlight streamed in through the mostly intact windows located a few meters away from him. Steel columns stretched from the concrete floor to the ceiling. There was also a stairway leading to the second floor.

He expanded his senses and knew that there were several vampires watching his movements closely but most was located on the upper floor. As he measured the enemies' strength, he concluded that their power levels were probably ranging from somewhere between E to C class.

Hardly a threat to someone like him.

He knew exactly where his enemies were hidden but his bad habit was kicking in again. An acquaintance from his original world was the first one to notice that particular quirk and if it wasn't pointed out to him bluntly, he would've never noticed it.

The fact was that he had the habit of playing around with his opponents when given the opportunity.

A sadistic behavior as others told him.

Ever since he discovered he was an immortal and continued to live a really long and monotonous existence, his moral compass had become a bit more distorted. Acts of violence and bloodshed didn't bother him like it did before when he was still untainted by the horrors of the world he was born in.

As his innocence was vanquished by the darkness, he began enjoying inflicting pain against his enemies. He wanted to feel sympathy or empathy for those lives he ended but there was nothing left inside to let him feel anything for them. He had suffered and lived for far too long and it had killed some of his human sensitivity. It was as if his world had lost all its color and he observed everything from an objective, sterile black-and-white environment.

An enemy was an enemy. There was no such thing as something in between. Kindness for them was downright lethal for someone like him – a person hated by so many. He couldn't afford to be kind and soft. After all, back stabbing was pretty common occurrence no matter which world he stayed in. It was far better to refuse mercy against an enemy who was liable to stab him in the back later on.

He remembered that he had learned that particular lesson the hard way back in the world he was born in. And so he resolved himself to never let the same thing happen ever again.

He felt a sudden shift in the air and knew that a vampire was heading straight for him. Before he took another step, someone grabbed him roughly and slammed his back hard against the wall. Any other person would have the air or consciousness knocked out of him. But he wasn't just any other person and he did have a higher pain tolerance than most.

He merely smirked and gazed at the enemy with amusement.

The vampire was shaped like a man and he was dressed in ragged clothes. A curtain of long, scraggly hair fell across his features. His skin was as pale as a corpse and his eyes were a burning, bright red. His mouth was twisted into a cruel smile and Zero could see rows of sharp teeth.

_Level End._

The unfortunate product of a pureblood vampire.

"Pitiful being to have fallen so far in your madness…" Zero uttered in a deadly serious tone, his eyes still alight with amusement. "Allow me to end your suffering once and for all…"

In a split second, before the vampire could move, his head detached cleanly from his body by a cut that seemed to be made from a razor sharp blade. Zero now watched in a detached manner as the body soon disintegrated to dust. He pushed himself away from the wall and gazed at the vampires starting to surround him.

His silver-amethyst eyes were now sharp and predatory.

"Let the hunt begin," he whispered softly.

**- xXx -**

"Vampires exist whether they believe it or not. I doubt those kids would be laughing their asses off if they knew the whole truth. After all, there's a reason why vampires' existence are kept secret." A tall, muscular man with long, wavy, jet-black hair and a scar on the right side of his chin commented to no one in particular. His right eye was covered by a large eye patch and his visible one was a shade of steel blue. He was clad in a brown trench coat and wide-brimmed hat. He crossed his arms as he leaned back against a brick wall and waited for his companion to arrive.

He had overheard a couple of teenagers joking about vampires awhile ago and so couldn't help voicing out his opinion to himself.

"TOUGA!"

He heaved an exasperated sigh as he heard a familiar voice shout his name in the distance. He looked to his left to see a man with long straw colored hair tied in a ponytail and glasses approach him, waving his arm a little too enthusiastically for his tastes.

"Took you a long time to get here, Kaien. You've always been punctual with our meetings," Touga commented off-handedly.

Kaien only chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He gestured for the two of them to talk inside a nearby restaurant. They headed towards one a few stores away and quickly placed their orders before resuming their conversation.

"Sorry about being late. There were important matters to attend to at school and I couldn't leave without tying it up. Things have been hectic for the past few days and you know that Kaname-kun's getting restless with these incidents happening all over town."

Touga narrowed his eyes in irritation at the mention of Kaname's name. He said gruffly, "Of course, he'd be interested. That damned pureblood certainly can't keep his hands off regarding hunter business. He always poked his nose in things that didn't concern him."

"Kaname-kun just wants to make sure that the students at the academy are safe. We both know that the culprits in these incidents are rogue vampires. Vampires that have been going against what Kaname-kun stands for. He's rather strict about following rules that were set on his kind. That's probably what sets him apart from other purebloods."

"I don't care about what that pureblood did in his own damned time or what code of conduct he followed or how different he is from other bloodsuckers. Warn him not to meddle in hunter business from now on. This isn't his job, it's ours."

"I'll gladly pass on the message but we both know what his answer would be. Kaname-kun can be quite stubborn when he wants to be and this is just one of those matters he won't back down from," Kaien replied cheerfully.

Touga shook his head. "That's what I thought. Anyway, how's Ichiru? The kid keeping out trouble like I asked him?" he asked.

Kaien smiled warmly as he answered, "He's doing just find though he could be a bit more sociable to others. He acts kindly to everyone but he's also keeping them at arm's length. The only person who he keeps close to his heart is _him_."

"He has his own reasons for avoiding people. He's different from everyone so he finds it hard to mingle with others who would never understand how he sees this world."

Kaien merely nodded his head in acceptance. He noticed that Ichiru tended to act differently towards other people. Much meaner and ruthless in his words. The young man was much warmer and friendlier when Zero was around. Hopefully, that'll change now that Zero would be teaching one of Ichiru's classes.

He inwardly smiled at that.

"So, are you going to teach at Cross Academy too? I've been looking for faculty members recently and only the literature post has been filled," Kaien said, breaking the silence. "I need help, Touga. Aren't you going to help your best friend in the whole wide world?"

Touga sighed exasperatedly for the second time that day at Kaien's antics. Sometimes he couldn't see the legendary vampire hunter in this man when he acted like five year old brat.

"I already accepted a few days ago, didn't I? Don't tell me you forgot, Kaien. I'm only tying up some loose ends in the Association before I head at your academy. Besides, I'm interested in Ichiru's so-called _Nii-san_," he said seriously. "I read the list of faculty members in your academy roster and guess who I saw in that list?"

"Who?" Kaien asked with feigned innocence.

Touga glared at him. "_Kiryuu Zero_." He rubbed his temples as though he had a head ache. "The only Kiryuu Zero I know died as a stillborn and both Shirou and Madoka were devastated when it happened. They expected to have twins to take care of but sadly, it wasn't meant to be. Ichiru is the last in the Kiryuu family line. So who the hell is this guy?"

"Zero-kun is really Ichiru-kun's nii-san. Only an idiot won't be able to see the bond that exists between those two. He's been with the Kiryuu's for eleven years and because of that, he's probably one of the major figures in Ichiru-kun's life. From what I've seen, he's closer to Zero than his own parents. Ichiru certainly doesn't hide the fact that his world revolves around his older brother," Kaien replied truthfully.

"Eleven years?" Touga echoed with disbelief. "How come I've never heard of him? I remember visiting Shirou at his house but I never caught a glimpse of this Zero. I didn't even know that they're housing another person. Though I think he's probably the reason why Ichiru is with us now and not six feet under like his parents."

"It's not my secret to tell, Touga. Why don't you try asking Zero-kun? He's staying at Cross Academy too and since he's part of the staff, you two would have plenty of time to interact with each other."

Touga gazed at Kaien and wondered what the guy was planning. "I'll make sure to do that. Can't deny that his resemblance with Shirou is too uncanny. He really takes after Shirou in terms of appearance."

"That's what I thought so as well when I first met him," Kaien commented good-naturedly. "Are you the only hunter available for my request?"

"I'm bringing Takamiya Kaito along. The number of rogue vampires in this city is staggering and I think you're right to need my help. I presume that he'll be forced to teach as well as part of his cover?"

Kaien smiled brightly, "Of course. He'll be perfect for one of the vacant positions…" He trailed off as he stared at the wall clock. "I wonder if he's already finished with the job."

"What are you talking about?"

"I sent Zero-kun to hunt down some vampires in the other side of the city. Knowing him, it won't take too long."

Touga only raised an eyebrow at the answer. _Looks like this Zero can fight vampires and from what Kaien tells me, he's strong. He might be a good addition to the Hunter Association. I really want to meet with this Kiryuu Zero as soon as possible. _

**- xXx -**

Zero gazed at the corpses around him, his eyes expressing no outward emotion as he looked over each and every one of them carefully. They had been torn apart with the anti-vampire weapon he was currently wielding since he didn't use his _special abilities_ to finish them off. After all, they were just weak enemies; it would a complete waste of energy. Still, he wouldn't allow any vampire to be left alive since he wasn't in the habit of failing missions assigned to him. He was a perfectionist in that regard. Kaien did tell him to wipe out the rogue vampires in this area using any means necessary.

That was why level ends who thought he was an easy prey were dispatched easily and rather violently.

His eyes roved over the area before him, watching as the blood dripped down the walls and pooled around the floor. A grotesque sight in normal human standards.

_Too similar_, he thought darkly. This scene reminded him too much of his terrible past. The painful beginning that led him down to a dark road from which there was no return.

'_What about you, you bastard! You abandoned your people…I didn't! You're the one with the god complex and you're the one who is a murderer and a traitor! We're nothing alike! At least I don't kill people for fun! How can you live with yourself! A god damned monster like you shouldn't have been born!'_

The echo of that familiar voice from his distant past served to distract him momentarily. He almost didn't notice that another vampire was making a beeline towards his stunned form. As soon as he had, he mentally berated himself for that careless mistake.

He gripped the large knife and slammed the sharp end of it into the vampire's skull, splitting it open. The blood immediately gushed out from the opening as he retracted the blade back and he watched as the body convulsed and collapsed. With the anti-vampire properties of the weapon, he knew that it wouldn't be soon before the body finally turned to dust. He held the item in his fingers with ease, letting it hang down, and lifted it back up momentarily as he walked out of the room where the fallen bodies were littered like pieces of trash.

_Now isn't the time to think about the past, Zero. You'll have plenty of time when you return to the academy. _

He mentally said those words to himself as he pushed away the memories that were trying to resurface from the far recesses of his mind. He hated remembering the past – especially his early years. Nothing good ever came out of it.

He dashed around the corner, swinging the knife with one hand and sliced right through the neck of another vampire.

It was an instant beheading and he watched from the corner of his eyes as the attachment flew into the air before falling down the ground in a sickening flop. Blood once more splattered the hallway, barely missing him, but he didn't stop his movement. There was another vampire within the area and he made a quick spin, using the previous force from his attack to turn him around. The same blade came down at a horizontal angle from between the neck and shoulder, slicing down until it went through the heart. He didn't go any further and ripped the blade out from the body, swinging it slightly to get rid of the excess blood on it.

His eyes examined the area carefully, making sure he hadn't missed anything before moving away to deal with the last vampire inside this building.

"W-What the hell are you?" the vampire questioned as he backed away from Zero's approaching figure. He thought that the enemy hunter was a pushover and that was the biggest mistake of his life. When he witnessed those level end vampires he were with get killed so easily, it came to him that was fighting a fucking _monster_. They were so many vampires who attacked the hunter and yet none had even managed to scratch him.

As Zero's imposing figure approached him, he knew that he had no chance of escaping.

"…It's a secret," Zero answered tonelessly as he walked towards the cowering noble.

He saw the hopelessness and fear in the vampire's eyes. He hated it instantly. Hated those eyes that reminded him of the past he tried so hard to forget. The gaze that told him he was a complete monster. That he was a demon incarnate and that he shouldn't have ever existed.

_She_ had those eyes.

_She_ who had told him she loved him.

_She_ who had promised to stay with him.

_All of those were lies because she was the one who betrayed me in the end. She was the one who offered me on a silver platter in my enemies hands_, he thought darkly.

He decided than and there to stop playing around and finish this.

The noble saw Zero's eyes shift from silver-amethyst to a bright electric blue. "Please don't ki–" He was cut off as black flames appeared from out of nowhere and devoured his body in an instant, leaving nothing but ashes.

**- xXx -**

Yuuki steeled herself as she knocked on the closed door of Zero's bedroom. It wasn't that she was scared of him or that she disliked him. It would be extremely foolish of her to have those feelings because Zero was a kind and gentle person. Not like his younger brother, Ichiru, who always picked a fight with people he disliked and loved teasing her on a daily basis. No, the reason why she was timid in Zero's company was because he eerily reminded her of Kaname. Like her upperclassman, his presence wasn't that of a human being.

But as far as she knew, Zero wasn't a vampire. Although he could be mistaken for one because no human could ever be so graceful or beautiful and there was also that look in his eyes that said he knew far more than anyone in this world.

The door suddenly opened and Yuuki was brought out of her musings to be greeted with a sight that left her practically speechless.

The person who occupied her thoughts for the past few minutes appeared at the doorway and was currently wearing a high-collared blue shirt with a loosely knotted necktie, along with black pants and a jacket. On the jacket's left pocket, he had a miniature version of the sigil with a small chain. On both of his ears, he still wore those numerous silver cuffs. Finally, perfectly polished black shoes completed his whole _professional_ look.

Yuuki had always been aware that Ichiru's older brother, whose age she still didn't know because he never shared it with her, was very good-looking. But seeing him in this kind of clothing literally took her breath away.

"Yuuki?" A confused voice broke through her wandering thoughts.

"Oh…I…uh…umm…supposed to show you the way to your class," Yuki stuttered out as she blushed heavily. _Dear Lord, please let the ground swallow me now!_

She couldn't believe that she was this flustered in seeing him since she interacted with him on a daily basis for the last four years. How embarrassing! It was like with Kaname all over again. If Ichiru saw her right now, it would be a fuel to his endless teasing. She was acting like a love struck girl and in front of his older brother no less.

"I see. Lead the way then, Yuuki," Zero said softly. He was still a bit tired from the hunt last night and he didn't get a good night's rest with all his past memories plaguing him. It was a good thing Yuuki was here, she was a welcome distraction from the morbid thoughts he had since yesterday evening.

Yuuki caught a small smile from Zero's usually stoic expression and if it was possible, she became even more flustered. She could feel the heat creeping under her collar. Smiling definitely suited him.

She knew in that exact moment that the girls in her class would have a field day when they finally hear that Zero would be their new literature professor.

The short walk towards the Moon dorms was spent in comfortable silence and as they neared the gates, Yuuki could hear the incessant squealing of the girls from the day class. She sighed tiredly and knew that it was up to her to make sure that the protocol during class changeover would be followed. She cursed the fact that Ichiru was away on some hunter business and wouldn't be able to help in the prefect duties today. He was miles better than her in keeping the day class students under control.

"Oh, crap!" Yuuki uttered as she rushed off to make sure that everyone kept in line. She tried to utter out threats but to no avail. The girls weren't afraid of her and were used to ignoring whatever she told them.

As soon as the gates opened, the chaos seemed to reach new heights.

_How come Ichiru isn't here when I needed him the most? _She mentally complained.

Meanwhile, Zero was amused by the scene in front of him. Those children were truly clueless to the dangers the residents of the Moon dorms posed. If they knew, he was sure that none of them would be here flaunting their feelings and trying to catch a glimpse of their so-called idols. Well, he couldn't blame them since none of them knew the truth – that the students of the night class were real live vampires.

He blinked in surprise when he saw Yuuki fall heavily down on the ground. Trust Yuuki to let others walk all over her. She was far too kind for her own good. Quite unlike Ichiru who was harsh in his punishments and wasn't afraid to voice out his opinions. He also remembered Ichiru always complaining about Yuuki being useless during class changeovers.

He thought that since he had nothing else to do, he might as well assist her. He walked towards the gates with the intent of helping her gain control over this madness.

He narrowed his eyes as one of the students from the night class helped her up. Not just any student but the dorm president himself – Kuran Kaname.

_Well, well. What do we have here?_

His eyes lit up in amusement once more as he saw how the pureblood interacted with Yuuki. Too close and too familiar. That was what he thought as he saw how Kuran Kaname interacted with Yuuki. He had heard from Kaien that Kaname had once saved the girl from a rogue vampire. It would explain why the brunette had a crush on the pureblood. A case of hero-worship most likely. But it didn't explain the dorm president's actions. His fondness for the girl was too unnatural to be considered normal. It seemed that he needed more information on this one.

Now that he thought about it, maybe Ichiru might know something. After all, his younger brother was always there when the Kuran heir visited Kaien's house. He was always away during those times and so he had no clue as to what transpired in those visits. It was also the reason why he and Kaname had never crossed paths before.

That was going to have to change now of course…

"Do not worry yourself about it, Yuuki," Kaname replied kindly as he raised an arm to jostle Yuuki's hair.

"Class has already started, Kuran-san. You shouldn't be late," Zero stated from behind the pureblood.

Kaname stopped the motion and spun around, reflexes taking over as he quickly faced the newcomer. There was nothing in his mind, except the fact that he hadn't heard who had been approaching, and that by itself was quite a feat. Nobody, absolutely nobody, snuck up on a pureblood vampire. That person, whoever it was, was not just an ordinary human…far from it if that was the case.

His eyes hardened dangerously, and he ignored the squeak of shock and recognition from his precious Yuuki. They connected with the silver-haired man standing in front of him. There was something about this person that unnerved him and he found himself getting curious as to who this was.

"Who is that guy? So good-looking!"

"Kyaaa! A total hottie!"

"He's so gorgeous!"

"He looks so cool!"

"Is he from around here? I hope he is."

Zero ignored the whispers that started as soon as he moved into the day class girls' line of vision. He sighed inwardly at the reaction. It was always the same wherever he went. "As the dorm president, you have so set an example to your peers. Arriving late to class isn't one of those, I believe," he continued in a rather civil tone of voice.

"Thank you for the reminder. Please excuse me," Kaname stated politely as he turned to leave. Before he could head to class, a day class girl came up to him and offered him a rose which he accepted kindly.

Zero caught the curiosity directed at him in those garnet-colored orbs. It looked like he caught the attention of the pureblood just like he wanted. He was interested as to what lengths the Kuran heir would go through to find out more about him. Was he an enemy or an ally? Those were most probably the thoughts circling Kuran Kaname's head. He was beyond doubt going to enjoy making the pureblood guess his true intentions. This day truly was a welcome distraction.

_The time would come soon,_ he thought with rising amusement.

All the pieces of the puzzle that the pureblood would need to discover his secret were beginning to line up. All of the information about him would seen be within the pureblood's grasp if Kaname would take advantage of all the confrontation soon to come in this city.

Soon, the truth about his anomalous existence would be revealed.

…Otherwise, it wouldn't be such an interesting game for the both of them.

He broke his line of thoughts and turned towards the lingering students who were still blushing in his presence. "As for you young ladies, it's getting quite late. It's time for all of you to head back to your dorms. Nights like these could get dangerous," he ordered in a calm voice.

One by one, the students dispersed but not without giving him lingering glances. He looked back at Yuuki who was visibly sulking.

"How do the both of you do that?" Yuuki asked despairingly.

"Do what?"

"Keeping the girls in line and making them follow orders. They never listen to me at all."

"I don't have an answer to that. Try asking Ichiru," he stated as he started walking away with Yuuki following and telling him where to go. Class was going to start soon and he wondered how Kaname would react to seeing him again so soon.

**- xXx -**

Kaname's calculating eyes narrowed as he thought about the silver-haired stranger he met during class changeover. He usually wasn't this curious or fixated about a person but the man seemed too familiar with the academy for him to be considered as a mere visitor. Not to mention the man's interaction with Yuuki told him that they knew each other for a long time. It was no mere coincidence that the man was there and Kaname was left guessing as to what the stranger's true intentions were.

Aside from that, the weird presence of the man also bothered him to all levels. He debated for almost half an hour on whether he should have ordered Seiren to keep tabs on that man. After all, such an individual couldn't be left to his own devices. The man _was_ mystery incarnate so Kaname didn't know if he was dangerous or not.

_Human?_

The presence was too volatile and strong as if he was trying to contain his power.

_Vampire?_

The man didn't feel like on and Kaname should know, being a pureblood and all.

_Hunter?_

Possible since hunters are different from humans, but it didn't explain the reason why that man was roaming the academy without any guide in the first place.

For lack of better terms, Kaname was incredibly frustrated. If there was one thing in this world he hated most, it was _not knowing._

Information was everything in the world and it was through those things that he managed to derail most of his uncle's carefully laid plans. He was even able to predict the movements of his other enemies and used those to his advantage. Thus, securing victory against them. And now, this man comes along as though he appeared from out of nowhere.

There was nothing on that man, not even a damned name, and Kaname hated that fact.

Well, it wasn't going to stay that way any longer if he could help it. He would find out everything about that man as soon as possible and from there, he would see whether that man was an ally or any enemy.

"Our sensei is late. The class should've started fifteen minutes ago," Aidou Hanabusa grumbled as he slumped on his desk. His blue eyes gazed at the clock in frustration, wondering how long he was going to wait for their teacher.

Ichijou Takuma appeared in his line of vision and said cheerfully, "He might've gotten lost or something held him back. Chairman Cross did mention to us that our sensei for this class is someone new."

"It still doesn't give him a reason to be late and on his first day no less," Hanabusa replied stubbornly.

Kaname perked up when he heard the conversation from the two and remembered that Cross Kaien did mention that he had someone specific in mind to teach this class. A man who the chairman trusted whole-heartedly. His thoughts shifted back to the silver-haired stranger.

_Don't tell me –_

The door was suddenly opened by none other than the person Kaname had met earlier and who had been occupying the pureblood's thoughts for the past few hours. He caught the brunette's eyes instantly, though Kaname wasn't sure if that was because they had spoken to each other before or something else entirely. The man stopped in front of the desk and placed the book he was carrying on the chair behind it.

Kaname noticed straight away that the presence the man carried now resembled a vampire hunter's. But he specifically remembered that it was different during class changeover. Much too different. Before it was _darker_ and _suffocating_. It seemed that the mystery regarding this man was getting deeper and deeper as time passed by.

The other students in class stiffened when they finally realized that their new teacher was a vampire hunter.

Without warning, a knife was hurtled directly towards the unsuspecting man – all with the intention of scaring or unnerving the teacher. But much to the class's surprise, the blade was caught with ease.

"Quite an intense greeting we have here, don't we?" the silver-haired teacher stated tonelessly, his expression a blank mask. "Please think twice before deciding to attack me again because next time I would not hesitate to retaliate in kind." Unknown to the class, he inwardly smirked as he saw the fury etched on some of their faces. "Commoners, nobles, or purebloods. It does not matter to me what kind you are. I am your teacher and you are all my students. As long as I am in this class, I expect everyone to behave properly. Am I clear?"

Takuma smiled widely as his emerald green eyes shined in awe. "Wow! Our new teacher's so cool, isn't he, Hanabusa? He's just like one those awesome badass characters I read in some of my favorite mangas."

"He isn't cool. He's more like an asshole to me," Hanabusa muttered under his breath.

The silver-haired man's silvery eyes met Kaname's garnet ones for a fleeting moment, a hint of perceptiveness imprinted in the depths of that cold gaze.

_I see now that you're truly as dangerous as I first thought_, Kaname thought with interest. His cheek rested against his palm as he gazed at his new teacher. _I'll discover all of your secrets no matter it takes, sensei. If this is a game to you, I'll win it for sure._

"As you all might know, your previous teacher has resigned from his post just recently and that is why I will be taking his place until the end of this years. My name is Kiryuu Zero, pleased to meet all of you."

_I hope that you would make this game more interesting, Kuran Kaname._

* * *

**-chapter **01 **end-**

* * *

**Silvermaiden's Notes**

Thank you to all those readers who dropped by to give me a review and added this story to their favorites and alerts list! You guys have truly inspired me to write this chapter as soon as possible. I'm really glad that you guys liked my newest idea for this fanfiction.

Remember that feedbacks and comments are always appreciated. =)


	3. 02 Friends and Enemies

**Immortal Guardian**

02

_**Friends and Enemies**_

* * *

"_I will no longer relinquish that which is important to me. I won't allow myself to lose anything else. Therefore, I'm going to do everything I can to protect you."_

_Kaname Kuran_

* * *

"_You've changed a lot from that little brat I met so many years ago. Some would say that they hardly recognized you as the same person from before."_

"_People change for all sorts of reasons and in some cases the change makes them go bad. The same applies to me, does it not? There is no need to deny the painful truth. I know what the others have been whispering behind my back all the time. They all think that I'm a demon incarnate and that my ideals are going to destroy our world. They only followed me because they feared me. None of them are truly loyal to my cause."_

"_Don't pay any attention to those insufferable idiots. None of them know anything about what you're trying to accomplish. They can't see what kind of future you're offering them."_

"_It doesn't really bother me, you know? It's not like they're anything new. I grew up in this world hated by those around me for something I can't control and judging by their reaction after all these years I have a feeling that I'll leave this world hated by many as well."_

"_That's a rather pessimistic point of view."_

"_It's a statement of fact. There is no lie in my words and there is no point in denying the truth. Not when it is far too obvious that I am not the most well-liked person in the world."_

"_Well, I'm not like them. I don't hate you. I never had and never will. If I hated you, I wouldn't have sacrificed my other eye trying to save your scrawny ass when you were little. You're my student and it's my job as your teacher to believe in you. Even though I think your plan is crazy and reckless and you're going to get the both of us killed."_

"_Thank you. It means a lot to me to hear those words…"_

"_Remember this: no matter what happens, no matter how much you change, I'll always be able to recognize you for who you are, you reckless brat. Many refer to you as the merciless Silver King but to me, you'll always be my prized student. Don't ever forget that, Kiryuu Zero."_

**- xXx -**

Kiryuu Zero needed less than five minutes to earn Aidou Hanabusa's extreme dislike.

Hanabusa couldn't believe the nerve of that silver-haired bastard. The man had just walked in after being late for class and acted as though he was someone high and mighty. He couldn't even show any sliver of respect towards their pureblood leader. Add to that, the man was a freaking vampire hunter. God, Hanabusa could just imagine how _painful_ and _unbearable _this class was going to be with that asshole teaching this class. Couldn't the chairman find someone else? Preferably, someone who wasn't this bastard!

His irritation kept on spiking as the man continued to act indifferently around them. It was like he didn't care and they weren't worth his time.

For some reason, he remembered that male prefect who usually chased away his fan girls during class changeover. Now that he thought about it, the two certainly had some sort of uncanny resemblance to each other. They even had the same prickly sort of personality. And moreover they both annoyed him to no end.

"Kiryuu? As in the same Kiryuu as that infuriating prefect bastard?" Hanabusa asked haughtily, his mouth running off from him _again_. He just couldn't stop himself from voicing out his innermost thoughts. He had conveniently forgotten that he was mouthing off towards a man who was his new Literature teacher and would likely punish him for the action. He turned to his seatmate, "How old is this guy, anyway? He looks too young to be teaching a class. Let alone our –"

"Ichiru is my younger brother and my age shouldn't concern you, Aidou-san. But if you must know, I'm twenty-three years old. Next time you have a question, please raise your hand or there will be consequences," Zero interjected in a calm tone of voice that somehow grated on said student's nerve.

There was a slight warning in Zero's cold gaze and it sent chills down Hanabusa's back. It was too _inhuman_ – those silver-amethyst eyes of his – and it was as if this man could see deep into his very soul. He suppressed a shiver and tried to push those unwelcomed feelings away. There was no way he was going to be frightened of this vampire hunter. Hell would freeze over before he let this bastard walk all over him.

"Your previous sensei did not leave any reminder of what I should be teaching all of you or any specific curriculum for that matter. That is why I will use my own and start from the very beginning even if we might not be able to reach the end of it by the time this school year ends," Zero stated tonelessly, pointedly ignoring the glares some of the students were giving him. Really, they were truly a pathetic bunch if they thought those weak glares would be enough to faze him. He had been subjected to much worse and these were nothing compared to back then.

'_Look at that brat trying to pretend that it's even human when we know the truth that it's not. It's a demon. A god damned demon.'_

'_That demon would destroy us all. What was the old man thinking in letting it live? It should've been put down as soon as it was born.'_

'_It should've just died along with its demon-loving parents.'_

'_Scum like you doesn't deserve to live. Just die already!'_

Zero turned his back on the class and moved towards the blackboard where he wrote important key words regarding his first lesson. Unknown to everyone in class, his eyes lost their usual indifference and for the first time in years his pain showed clearly on those silver orbs. He wondered why now of all times he was remembering those terrible memories. He had always been in control of his emotions and he thought that living for a long time had dulled the pain of his cruel beginnings. Apparently he was terribly mistaken if today was any indication.

_This is not acceptable. I cannot afford to show my weakness now of all times,_ he thought to himself.

As that realization settled on his mind, he decided that meditation would be his first priority as soon as class was over. Apparently, just taking a rest wasn't enough to keep those unwanted memories at bay. He needed to sort out his thoughts before it consumed him _again_. He didn't need his past rearing its ugly head while he was in this world. It was far better for everyone if it stayed under wraps. No one needed to know what kind of person he was before he became an immortal. No one needed to know the sacrifices he made and the sins he had committed.

He schooled his features back into a stoic one as he finished writing and once again addressed the class, "I won't make any guesses about how much previous knowledge all of you may possess regarding this subject. Don't feel insulted if simply assume that all of you are completely ignorant of the lesson we are dealing with. I will now start from the very beginning…"

Hanabusa grudgingly began to write notes about the lecture and found out to his surprise that his new teacher was extremely knowledgeable about the subject. Far more than their previous one and so he couldn't help but actively listen as the man discussed the beginnings of Japanese Literature to all of them. He saw his teacher writing some Kanji on the blackboard with an immaculate handwriting which made him feel rather inferior, envious and obviously irritated. Kiryuu-sensei's handwriting was definitely neater compared to his own messy scrawls.

_How unfair was that!_

There has to be a limit to how _perfect_ this bastard was.

He had to reluctantly agree to himself that Kiryuu Zero was good-looking to the point that it looked as if he wasn't all that human. His coloring was too unique with silver hair and silver-amethyst eyes. He even dressed classily and was intelligent judging from the man teaching the lesson without using any books or reading aides. Hanabusa hated the man's personality but he knew that females' especially human ones would find Kiryuu-sensei to be cool.

Of course, Hanabusa disliked the man. Truly, he disliked the bastard with every fiber of his being. But he respected and admired beauty and this man had it in spades. His Kaname-sama was at the top of the ladder with his dark looks and persona but this man was a close second.

He grumbled curses under his breath at the direction those thoughts were heading. How could he even think that this guy was someone to be admired? Was he truly out of his mind?

In order to push away those thoughts, he chanced a glance to his left just in time to see his pureblood leader's eyes focus intensely on their new teacher. He was taken aback as he saw just how attentive Kuran Kaname was on that man. The gears on his brain were working overtime as he thought about several reasons for that intense gaze. Kaname had never really paid much attention to their teachers before and just sat there at the class with his gaze pointed towards the windows. Probably staring at the prefect girl whose relationship with their leader became a large speculation among his peers. It was a weird concept for Hanabusa to see that Kaname had forgone the usual habit and instead paid attention to the man in front of them.

He began wondering what was different with Kiryuu Zero that he managed to garner Kaname's whole attention.

Five minutes before the bell rang to signify the end of the class; their teacher stopped the lecture and put away the chalk. "This will do for an introduction. Next meeting we will start with an actually Japanese Literature. I will see everyone next meeting. Class dismissed."

Hanabusa watched as his classmates began leaving the room to head back to the Moon dorms since Kiryuu-sensei's class was the last one that evening. He saw from the corner of his eyes that Takuma was speaking to their leader in hushed tones. After a while, he saw their leader stand up and walk towards Zero who was also preparing to leave.

"Come on, Hanabusa," Takuma whispered as he grasped Hanabusa's arm gently and propelled the blonde noble towards the door. "Kaname wants to speak to Kiryuu-sensei _alone_."

With no choice left, Hanabusa allowed himself to be steered out of the room by Takuma. Leaving Kiryuu Zero finally alone with Kuran Kaname.

**- xXx -**

Kuran Kaname noticed that he was finally alone with his new Literature teacher and was thankful that Ichijou Takuma made sure that the other night class students steered clear of the building. No doubt that without his blonde friend's help, the others would be hovering nearby. This discussion was a private matter as far as he was concerned and one way or another, he was going to find out the truth about this man.

He had spent the majority of class thinking about Kiryuu Zero and during those moments of contemplation, he became more frustrated. He truly didn't know anything about this man. Even as he delved deep into his incredibly long memory, there was _nothing_. He knew a lot of things about the Kiryuu family and in connection to that, he knew a lot about Kiryuu Ichiru. The _only son_ of Kiryuu Shirou and Kiryuu Madoka.

The Kiryuu's came from a long line of vampire hunters and they were quite famous for producing prodigies every generation. Most of the vampire hunter community speculated that young Ichiru would turn out as great as his father. If the Kiryuu couple only had one son, there was the question of who this man was. Ichiru was supposed to be the only heir of the Kiryuu family line alive today.

Of course, he couldn't deny that the man's resemblance with Kiryuu Shirou was truly uncanny. Zero had the same hairstyle and color as Shirou. Even the color of their eyes was the same – a unique silver-amethyst shade. Kiryuu Zero could be an adopted child but that didn't explain why no one had ever heard of his existence. Why was he hidden? What was his purpose? Was he another one of his enemies? Too many questions that Kaname had no such answer to.

_I'll get my answers no matter what_, he thought as he gazed at Zero's eyes.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Kaname demanded rather bluntly. With all the built up frustrations he had regarding the mystery of this silver-haired man, he found himself short on patience. Which was rare in itself since he prided himself in being a very patient individual.

With this man's sudden appearance, all of his plans concerning Ichiru would be derailed. This man had said he was Ichiru's older brother and it meant that Kaname wouldn't be able to use Ichiru the way he needed to in order to protect Yuuki from his scheming uncle. Zero single-handedly ruined his plan and because of that Ichiru wouldn't become Yuuki's knight. He was sure that Kiryuu Zero would get in his way from now on and it irritated him to no end.

Zero tilted his head to the side. "Didn't you hear me introduce myself earlier? My name is Kiryuu Zero. As for the second question, I suppose I should be the one asking you that, Kuran Kaname. _Ancestor of the Kuran family._"

Zero had spent a lot of time digging out that particular tidbit of information and he had even visited the old Kuran manor just to be sure. Turned out that he was right on the dot. Kuran Kaname wasn't who he truly was. Zero had always known that something was _unnatural_ about the order of things in this world. So many conspiracies and hidden secrets, much like his own world. That was why he went all around the place trying to gather as much information as possible.

He inwardly smirked when he saw the pureblood's eyes narrow in anger. He considered it an achievement on his part to shatter Kaname's mask of false congeniality. He had seen how the pureblood acted with everyone during class changeover and he had the sudden urge to see the _real_ Kaname.

Glass crackled from the left and the rows of windows along the classroom shattered in a shower of broken shards. The wall behind Zero then exploded and looked as if it was punched by an invisible force. Zero didn't even bat an eyelash at the violent display of power. His features remained stoic as he surveyed his surroundings.

"That was a warning," Kaname stated coldly. He didn't know why but this man ticked him off in the worst way possible. He didn't miss the amused gleam that entered Zero's eyes a few moments ago. "Don't think about lying to me. Who are you and how did you come by that information?"

"I'm not lying to you. What makes you think I lied about who I am?"

"There is only one Kiryuu child and that is Kiryuu Ichiru. I don't know who you are, how long you've been here, or what connections you have with my _uncle_ – but you should tell me. Soon. Before I make you suffer."

Zero hummed lightly. "Well, if you didn't know anything about me then that means that everything went well. My name _is_ Kiryuu Zero. I am Ichiru's older brother and for as how long I've been with them…" He paused before continuing, "I was with Ichiru since he was three years old so it's probably been fifteen years since then. There are several reasons why I lived away from them at first and kept myself hidden after all these years but I don't trust you enough to allow you to know what those reasons were."

"That's impossible," Kaname snapped. His manners gone as his patience was stretched to its limits. The silver-haired man could be a spy working with his uncle and that could be the reason why he was hidden. If that was the case, he would kill Zero to ensure Yuuki's safety.

"Of course it's possible. Nothing's impossible in this world, wouldn't you agree?" Zero stated, his voice tinged with amusement. "It took me quite a long time to figure out a lot of things and one of them was the truth about you. Don't worry, Kuran-san, I'm not a spy working for Kuran Rido. His arrogance sickens me and I'm not the type to bow down to anyone. I rather like working for myself. _Freedom_ is everything to me."

Kaname eyes Zero cautiously as he weighed the man's word. He easily saw through other people but this silver-haired man remained an unsolved mystery. He was sure what Zero was thinking and he couldn't comprehend this man's intentions. He accepted this game of Zero's because of a whim but already he was at a disadvantage. The man knew a lot about him and in reverse, he knew little about Zero.

"How do I know you are telling me the truth? For all I know, you're lying."

"You don't," Zero remarked bluntly. "You can trust me but I doubt that would happen in your case. You're the type of person who doesn't trust others easily. I'm quite sure that you think I am an enemy to be eliminated. I won't try to change your mind. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. That is your _freedom_, Kuran-san."

Kaname wore a bemused expression. "You're quite something aren't you, Kiryuu-sensei?"

"You're not the first person to say those words to me, Kuran- san," Zero said as his mouth tilted into the smallest of smiles.

"You act like you're far older than you are. You know a lot of things that are kept secret in this world. You can hide your presence at will. You are not frightened by my display of power. What are you, _Zero_?" Kaname asked, his previous anger gone.

A smirk stretched across Zero's face.

"And that, _Kaname,_ is a secret."

Kaname sent off another attack just for the hell of it and with a rather infuriating grin Zero slipped away from his previous spot with an almost unnatural ease. All the pureblood saw was a blur of black shadows as the man disappeared from sight.

_Where is he?_

"Over here," Zero's voice whispered softly in his ear, the warm breath tickling his neck. Kaname spun around to face the man.

"For the record," Zero said casually, "I have no intention of harming Yuuki. I have no intention of interfering with your plans, unless I decide that it is absolutely necessary. I am here simply as Ichiru's protector. Be warned though that I won't tolerate him being used in whatever arrangement you have." He smiled faintly. "I'm rather tired. So if you'll excuse me…"

Zero crossed the room and was out of the door in another second. It closed behind him with a loud click.

Kaname kept his gaze on Zero's back until the man disappeared. He couldn't help but think that the man was truly something else. Far too interesting and was a mystery he wanted to unravel so badly. In all of his years, he had never met someone quite like Kiryuu Zero. With those thoughts, he vanished into thin air – leaving the classroom bare of its previous occupants.

**- xXx -**

"Zero-kun…" Cross Kaien whined as he confronted Zero outside and saw the severely thrashed classroom. He resisted the urge to bang his head repeatedly against the wall for allowing such a thing to take place. He should've expected that something like this would happen when the two finally met. "I specifically told you earlier not to antagonize Kaname-kun so much. Look what happened to the classroom!"

Kaien grabbed Zero's arm and led him back inside the so-called war zone. He gestured frantically at the broken pieces of furniture, walls and windows. He didn't want to think about the costs of repairing this mess. He couldn't even think of how he was going to explain this mess to the others.

Zero looked at him, all innocence. "I had no idea he would react that badly," he replied casually.

Kaien's eye twitched as he fought the urge to tackle Zero and beat the crap out of him, wondering if he could get away with it. How could Zero act all innocent when he was the one at fault in this mess? The silver-haired immortal goaded the pureblood intentionally, knowing that something like this would happen as a result. Truly, he would never understand how Zero's mind worked.

"Anyone would react that badly, Zero-kun," Kaien replied exasperatedly. "Going around in circles and letting him think that you're a spy for his mortal enemy. It was a wonder that you're not badly injured. What if he directly attacked you? What then? Your brother would murder me if you died!"

"He won't be able to injure me. That sort of attack isn't enough to hurt me," Zero stated confidently.

Kaien sweat dropped at the statement. He didn't know whether he would admire or hate that confidence.

"Well, I guess you're kind of right but it still isn't good to rile Kaname-kun up. Are you trying to make enemies of the whole night class? Because that's the direction you're heading to if you keep this up," Kaien reasoned. Usually Zero was the one who reasoned with him every time he acted childish. But it seemed that today was the reverse. He never thought that the day would come he would be the mature one between the two of them.

Zero gazed at him blankly before sighing audibly, "You're trying to take away my fun."

"…Sociopath. You're a real sociopath, Zero-kun," Kaien stated matter-of-factly. "You'll surely get along well with the vampire hunters who would come at the academy soon," he then muttered under his breath.

Zero's mouth twisted into a bittersweet smile. "When you have lived for as long as I have, you tend to do things that would make this world much more interesting," he stated softly. "I have always felt detached from humans because of my power and their prejudice against me. They never considered me as one of them and labeled me as a monster that shouldn't have existed. They limited my freedom, fearing that it would increase my power. I was a prisoner and I hated every moment of it. As time passed by, I began to fall in line with their thinking until the time came that I stopped thinking of myself as human." He sighed. "I did a lot of terrible things, Kaien. And the truth is I haven't changed at all. Do you still think that I'm a good person?"

Kaien's expression turned gentle and tender as the mood of their conversation turned steadily darker. He had always known that Zero carried a lot of baggage but he wasn't aware of how heavy it was. The immortal had always been tight-lipped about his past and this was probably the first time he had ever talked about it. He frowned as he thought about the implication of those words and knew instantly that Zero didn't live a good and happy life. It was quite the opposite judging from the pained look in the man's eyes.

"You're a good person. There's no doubt about that, Zero-kun. A lot of people tell me I'm a good judge of character so believe me when I tell you that you're not as bad as you think you are."

"I see. Thank you then," Zero said warmly. "But I warn you that you might be mistaken. I'm not who you think I am. Still, I'll let you have your own opinion. Like I told Kuran-san, that is your _freedom_."

"You're welcome. Now that's over with, I want you to fix that mess you made as soon as possible. I don't want to explain to the school board why this classroom looked like a battlefield."

"You make it sound like I'm the only one at fault," Zero said, sulky. "Kuran-san was the one who destroyed most of the classroom with his powers. Shouldn't he be the one reprimanded about his unjust use of his abilities? I didn't even use mine."

Kaien raised an eyebrow at Zero's sudden change of character. "You're the one who egged him on," he stated flatly.

Zero sighed in defeat. He wasn't in the mood to use his magic but it seemed that it couldn't be helped.

He snapped his fingers and Kaien watched in amazement as it seemed that time began moving in reverse. Within seconds, everything inside the classroom was fixed and it looked as if nothing had happened.

"Honestly…that was kind of amazing," Kaien uttered, still in shock. He had never seen anything quite like it. Deep inside, he was very happy that Zero was on their side. He shuddered to think what would happen have the man decided to side with their enemies. Vanishing those thoughts away he said, "Let's head home and have dinner. Ichiru should be back by now."

**- xXx -**

"_Why do we have to treat each other as mortal enemies when we can just work together?" A woman with long and wavy blonde hair stated seriously. Her light blue eyes were focused intently upon him, wanting him to say yes to her question._

_Zero's eyes, normally blank and expressionless, narrowed a fraction. "Do you really think that I would accept your proposal? Such foolishness is unbecoming of you, my Lady. Your comrades tried to kill me countless of times. I am not an idiot who would place my trust in your filthy hands," he stated in a voice as cold as ice._

_She moved closer and cupped his cheek with her gloved hands. She leaned closer and the distance was so short that she was able to see the countless flecks of silver on his eyes._

"_As blunt as always, my dear Silver King. That is why I like you. I had always known you were far more special than anyone in this world. Too bad that the others don't see it my way. Deny it all you want but at the heart of it all we're not so different from each other, my king. I can see it in your eyes…the desire for power…the hatred against the world…the overpowering sense of loneliness. We've both been betrayed countless of times and we live such cruel existence, shouldn't that be enough for you to trust me and join me?"_

_Zero pushed her away, his eyes blazing in anger. "You know nothing of what I've been through. I fight because that is the only way for me to live. From the day I was born I was forced to fend for myself. I had nothing and nobody was there for me."_

"_I'm a pureblood vampire and because of that many have cursed me. Nobody dared to care about me and look past what I am. They already made up their minds that I was a monster. I had to do every dirty thing to survive," the woman said bitterly as she clenched her fists tightly. Blood dribbled to the floor but she didn't care. "How did it feel to kill someone the first time? Did you enjoy it? The first person I killed was a bastard that deserved to die. He treated me like a plaything. An object to be tossed around when not needed anymore. He didn't want to think of me as a person. That is why I ended him and I enjoyed every damned minute of it."_

"_I felt nothing and it angers me that I couldn't even force myself to care about ending the life of another person. But then again, after a while you just get numb to everything," he replied honestly. "It's true that we live shitty lives but we're nothing alike, Shirabuki Sara."_

"_I see…You were always such a stubborn man," the woman named Sara replied with a soft smile. "Don't worry. I promise you that one day I would manage convince you to join me. Things are going change soon enough and you know already that war is inevitable."_

_Zero opted to remain silent. He wondered why Sara was always so insistent on this partnership. As far as he knew, he had never given her any reason to seek his company._

"_We'll change this damned world – this world that had gone into disarray since the deaths of Kuran Haruka and Kuran Juri."_

"_The fact remains that you aren't the only one who wants to change the world," Zero stated truthfully. "Haruka was the king and his unexpected death led to a throne without an heir. Of course, many would seek it and fight for it. Thus, this broken world."_

_Sara reached out for his hand and grasped it tightly. "That is why I need you, Zero. Together you and I will rule this world as its King and Queen…"_

Zero stirred as the sunlight slanted through the open windows. He sighed deeply as he remembered the dream all to well. He groaned as he placed an arm in his eyes and thought about why he dreamed that particular memory. It was probably because of Kuran Kaname, he reasoned to himself. Whether the pureblood knew it or not, his family name was an important part of Zero's past. He also wondered if Sara existed in this world as well. After all, there was no guarantee that she would be here since there were a lot of differences between this world and his. The fact that Haruka and Juri had children was one.

He sighed. If only it was the same in his, then none of the tragedies surrounding his world would've taken place.

_An endless war,_ he thought bitterly.

He always had the impression that the people here were quite lucky that there was no war like his taking place. He had remembered all too well the bloodshed and destruction caused by the warring factions seeking the empty throne. If only Kaname had existed in his world then his life would've been different. From the brief interaction he had with the pureblood, he knew instantly that the man would've made a great king.

Kuran Kaname had the natural charisma that drew others to him just like how the night class seemed to respect and admire him. He was intelligent and he was quite ruthless when need be. He was also protective of those he deemed precious to him. All of those were qualities that would've changed his world for the better had he been the king.

He pushed those thoughts away as he prepared for the morning, knowing that the past couldn't be change no matter how much he wished for it.

He had sacrificed a great deal to attain true peace in his world. He was forced to deny himself many things he'd wanted, he'd abandoned so many roads that were open to him. And he wasn't the only one. Kaito…Touga-sensei…Sara…Sayori…and the list went on. So many people had sacrificed themselves for the greater good. Even he himself had made so many sacrifices.

Before he left the room, he gazed at the envelope sitting harmlessly on his desk. He had already expected that the Vampire Council and Hunter Association would show interest in him. But it never crossed his mind that it would be this soon. The letter was a request for him to take on a group of rogue vampires and hunters. He debated whether he should accept or not but Kaien told him to accept just to get the higher-ups off his back for a while.

_Well, it's not like I have nothing better to do this week aside from teaching classes._

He also thought it would rather _amusing_ since Kaien mentioned that he wouldn't be going alone. Rather he would be accompanied by Takamiya Kaito. He was rather curious about Kaito and wondered if the man would be like his counterpart. Add to that, a certain pureblood named Kuran Kaname volunteered for this mission. In short, the three of them would be going together.

A vampire hunter.

A pureblood vampire.

An immortal in hiding.

The three of them would make an interesting team as far as he was concerned.

_I wonder what you'll think of me, Kaname, when you see me on the hunt. Will you be disgusted of me? Or will you accept me? I sincerely hope it's the latter…_

* * *

**-chapter **02 **end-**

* * *

**Silvermaiden's Notes**

A big thank you for everyone who reviewed and added this story to their favorites and alerts list… =) Thank you also to _Gravity's Child_ for reminding me about switching the first names and last names of the characters for a rather Japanese feel for the story.

Everyone has truly inspired me to continue this story and I hope you guys like this newest chapter.

Feedbacks and comments are always appreciated. =)


	4. 03 The Lies People Tell

**Immortal Guardian**

03

_**The Lies People Tell**_

* * *

"_The easiest lies to tell are the ones you want to be true."_

_Kaien Cross_

* * *

"_I can't believe this is happening, Zero-sama. There has to be limit to your recklessness. I don't mind going to different places with you and doing God knows what. But please, don't risk our lives like this especially yours. Touga-sensei would murder me if something bad happened to you. Where did our rational and collected leader go to? You're the exact opposite right now."_

"_If you are only going to keep on complaining like this, it might be better for you to head home. I would not hold it against you if you left, it is your freedom."_

"…_And have my ass kicked by Touga-sensei when he learns I left you alone in a dangerous place. Not to mention we lied to him about the place we're going to. He'll be pissed off as hell. No thank you. I value my health very much. I'll take facing a battalion of enemies rather than sensei any day."_

"…"

"_Stop staring at me like I've lost my mind. You don't know how frightening sensei is when he's pissed off. It's like his strength doubles or something. Anyway, since I'm already here, do you mind telling me now what we're going to do inside one of our enemy's stronghold?"_

"_I need to retrieve a special artifact. One that you could think of as another key to secure our victory. After all, the war has gone on long enough. It's finally time to end it once and for all. To make that a reality, I need all of the pieces. _This_ is one of them."_

"_You could have told me all of this before you dragged me out here. I would've been more prepared for a mission this important. Warn me next time you do this."_

"_I apologize."_

"_Apology accepted. You know I feel less like a friend and more like a slave whenever you drag me like this without telling me anything. Of course, I'm flattered you trust me enough that you chose me out of everyone to accompany you for this secret mission of yours."_

"_I said I was sorry for dragging you into this mess…You know, I told you once that the road I'm taking led to darkness. If you kept on following me, you'd have to face the end of hell…I'll ask you once again, Kaito, are you prepared to accompany me to the depths of hell?"_

"_Do you even have to ask, Zero-sama? I promised you my undying loyalty. That will never change no matter what I see in this so-called road of darkness of yours. You'll have to put up with me for a very long time. Be prepared for more nagging courtesy of yours truly."_

"_All of you guys are the same. I can't see why you want to follow someone like me. I'm not exactly a great person. I had done so many terrible deeds and I lied about so many things. I even treat some people as tools to be used and discarded. It's true that I'm doing this to attain peace but doesn't that make me another one of those bastards trying to take control of our world. Maybe she was right; I do have a god complex…"_

"_You're wrong. You're not as terrible as you say you are. You're different from them. You never thought of yourself as someone perfect. You're aware of your own flaws as a leader and yet you continue to fight this never ending battle. Not many understand you but I do. You never noticed it but you saved me from the pain of having nothing. You gave me a home and a reason to live. That's why I want to help you and someday, I hope to save you as well."_

"…"

**- xXx -**

Yagari Touga slammed a fist onto Kaien's desk, scattering various stacks of papers everywhere. He glared at the man who was currently crying and muttering about his now ruined paperwork and how he didn't know which were read already and how he would have to arrange it all over again. He ignored the ramblings and said angrily, "Why the hell is that damned Kuran butting in on hunter business again? Kiryuu Zero is from a hunter family and by that regard, the Hunter Association has claim on him. There's no need for him to _observe_ anything."

Kaien sighed in defeat. "I understand where you're coming from but it's not like we can force the issue with the Vampire Council or rather Kaname-kun being adamant. The relations between vampires and hunters are precarious right now. The best we can do is make this a joint mission no matter how unpleasant it is for both parties. Besides, I think this would be a good way to show coexistence and Zero-kun already agreed with the arrangement. So I think we should just go with the flow of things. Who knows, this might some yield good results."

Despite the fact that Kaien was putting up a good argument with Touga, deep inside he was crying a flood of tears. He did ask Zero to accept the mission so he had no one to blame but himself if things got destroyed or damaged which was very likely. He could already picture the damage that would happen as a result of _those three_ being in the same vicinity with each other. He didn't forget the debacle at the classroom either and that was why he spoke to the three involved.

He had told Zero during breakfast that he shouldn't antagonize Kaname so much unless he wanted a repeat of the events in the classroom. He had then visited the pureblood and asked him not to rise to Zero's bait just like last time. He also called Kaito and requested for him not to go overboard and show some restraint when dealing with vampires.

But no matter how much he thought about it, those three were a recipe for disaster waiting to happen. It didn't help matters that the silver-haired immortal was feeling particularly amused by the situation and an amused Zero was a rather childish Zero. And a childish immortal equaled to destruction on a large scale.

_Noooooooo! _He screamed inside his head.

_I must have been out of my mind when I told Zero-kun to accept both invitations simultaneously,_ he thought hopelessly. _What possessed me to think it was a good idea at that time? No wonder Zero-kun got that devilish glint in his eyes._

"That damned Kuran," Touga said angrily, breaking Kaien out of his gloomy thoughts. "When would that bastard stop poking his nose into _our_ business? Kiryuu Zero isn't even a vampire so what the hell is his interest for?" He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Kaien who was now trying to look as innocent as possible but to no avail. "You know something, don't you?"

"I don't," Kaien replied instantly. Too fast to be believable.

"You do," Touga stated flatly. "Unless you want me to back out of our arrangement and let you deal with everything crappy that's happening in this city, you'll tell me what you're trying to hide."

Kaien suddenly pulled out a handkerchief and began dabbing his eyes while sniffling loudly. "I can't believe you, Touga-kun," he whined childishly. "I'm your best friend in the whole wide world and you're resorting to blackmailing me just to get what you want. What kind of friend are you? You big meanie!"

"Cut the crap, Kaien. I'm damn serious," Touga answered while he pinched the bridge of his nose. No matter how many times he saw it, he could never get used to Kaien's antics.

Kaien instantly became serious. "Do you believe in magic or even psychic abilities?"

"I do considering I've dabbled with the supernatural on a daily basis. It's a rather common ability with high-ranking vampires and from what I've heard some humans have minor abilities like precognition or empathy. What does that have to do with Kiryuu Zero?"

"It has everything to do with him, Touga. He has those kinds of abilities but on a much powerful scale. Truth be told, it's nothing like I've ever seen before and that's saying something," Kaien replied as he remembered the talk he had with the immortal. He was just relaying what Zero had told him he could share with others he trusted. He had also seen firsthand what the immortal could do so he could give a rather vivid detail.

Touga looked confused at that statement. "Are you sure he isn't a pureblood vampire in disguise? Because mostly only purebloods have those kinds of destructive abilities. Nobles aren't that powerful and I've never heard of a human having that powerful ability."

"He isn't a vampire. I've already checked."

"I see. Then explain to me the extent of Kiryuu Zero's abilities. Since I'll be working with him soon enough, I need to have any information about what he could do. I prefer not to be shocked or caught off guard with anything."

Kaien thought hard about what Zero explained to him a few years back before stating, "I don't truly know the full extent of what he could do but I'll share some of what he told me. Zero-kun could use magic ranging from spells inducing curses or control of available elements. He also has abilities to do things like move objects or break them without direct contact. In other words, manipulation of the things around him. The most frightening of all is that it also applies to living things as well."

Shock was an understatement for Yagari Touga.

He never imagined that a _human_ would be able to possess those dangerous abilities. No wonder that Kuran was too interested in Kiryuu Zero. Anyone would be. Someone that powerful could be a huge asset to whichever faction he joined in. He wondered briefly if that was the reason Kiryuu Shirou and Kiryuu Madoka hid the fact that they had an older son. If he thought hard about it, that could be a damned good reason. The couple wanted to protect Zero from being used as some kind of living weapon because of those abilities. They made sure that his existence was hidden and announced to the world that Ichiru was their only son. It also explained the reason why Ichiru survived the incident four years ago. The kid must've been with his older brother during that time.

Now that this crossed his mind, he couldn't help being slightly resentful at Shirou for not trusting him with this kind of information. To think that his friend hid this huge secret from him was a huge blow to him. It was like Shirou didn't trust him enough.

"Touga…" Kaien said tentatively, breaking him from his thoughts. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just thought about how Shirou couldn't even trust us with this kind of knowledge," he replied honestly. "I got the results from Kiryuu Zero's blood test and there's no denying the truth that he's a Kiryuu through and through. Even though I wanted so much to deny it, he's really Shirou's son."

Kaien opted to remain silent as he let Touga get those things out of his chest. Touga and Shirou shared a deep bond with each other and he knew that Touga considered Shirou as a brother in all but blood. For him to discover these things only now must've hurt terribly.

"The whole association was surprised by that turn of event and a lot speculated about why his existence was kept a secret. The same couldn't be said of the current president. He couldn't care less what Zero did or why he only appeared now. What matters to him is that Zero joins the Hunter Association since he's now the head of the Kiryuu family," Touga continued, trying to steer the subject away from Shirou's name.

As if he read Touga's mind, Kaien changed the subject, "What did Ichiru-kun say about that issue?" he asked with curiosity coloring his voice.

"Ichiru was all too happy to hand the position to his _Nii-san_. He already knew that being the head of the family meant having a seat during important meetings and lots of troublesome duties. Also considering how famous the Kiryuu's are, there's going to be a lot of major ass-kissing," Touga replied flatly. "The brat's very happy to get away from all that and now has the freedom to do what he wants since someone else or rather his older brother would deal with all that crap."

Kaien chuckled, the humor lighting his entire face.

"No wonder Ichiru-kun looked far too cheerful at breakfast. Even Zero-kun noticed that something was amiss. Still, freedom, huh?" Kaien said thoughtfully. There was something about the word…

'_Freedom is everything to me.'_

'_I won't try to change your mind. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. That is your freedom…'_

_Oh, right. Zero-kun always mentions that word_, he thought to himself. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Zero valued freedom and as much as possible, he cultivated it with others. A free soul. That was what he usually thought of Zero. The man was someone who wasn't tied to a single place and person. Judging from how long the immortal lived, he probably had an idea of what true freedom was.

"So, how did you end up taking the both of them in?"

Kaien broke away from his thoughts and replied, "Zero-kun was the one who came to me with a proposal of sorts. Surprised the heck out of me when he appeared at my doorstep so suddenly. I couldn't refuse, not when he needed help. Besides, I thought I owed Shirou to take care of his children."

Touga smirked. "You never change, Kaien. Still taking in stray children."

"Isn't that the pot calling kettle black?" Kaien replied smugly. "I doubt you'll be able to refuse if Shirou's sons asked you for help." Touga looked away and Kaien continued in a much softer tone, "Zero-kun is a lonely individual. He tends to act indifferently and detached with other people but I know that deep inside, he wants to belong. He told me once that he doesn't feel human anymore and no matter what he did he would never be one."

"From what you've told me he's powerful and that strength divides him from the line between being a human and not being one. Growing up the way he did being hidden away for his safety must've some effects on his psyche," Touga answered.

"I know it's rather foolish of me but I want him to feel human again. You'll help me, won't you?"

Touga sighed. "Do you even have to ask? You're not the only one who owes Shirou something."

**- xXx -**

'_How can someone as kind as you be so cruel? How could you treat someone's life as lightly as that and be amused by their pain? I can't understand you, Zero. I doubt I ever will. Am I an amusement to you too? Do you see me as nothing more than a tool to further your own goals? Tell me the truth, Kiryuu Zero, what am I to you?'_

Zero ran his hand through his silver hair in an agitated gesture that indicated he was getting all worked up. This was getting annoying real fast. He couldn't understand why he kept on remembering those things. He had done everything to lock up those memories but to no avail. No amount of meditation helped his current problem. Of course, some were good memories of his precious people but most were about the mistakes he made and the sufferings he endured.

_What the hell was up with that? _He thought frustratedly.

He didn't understand what the point was of bringing up the past that couldn't be changed. He knew better than anyone else that no power or magic in the world would be able to change the flow of time itself. He had tried in the beginning when he became an immortal. He wanted so badly to change his mistakes. Needless to say, he failed spectacularly. It was an impossible endeavor and he learned to accept that fact.

…And now here he was pacing the room like a caged animal and trying to figure out what was wrong with him. It was as if his own mind was betraying him.

It was truly pissing him off to no end.

Right at this moment, he was sympathizing with the pureblood. Surely, this was what Kaname felt like when he was trying to get a rise out of the vampire last time. Of course, this wouldn't make him stop angering the brunette. Kaname was just too fun to tease. The pureblood's reactions were just plain priceless. He could just hear Kaien's voice chiding him for his rather unhealthy habit.

_This is useless,_ he thought in irritation as he stopped pacing and flopped heavily on his bed. His silver-amethyst eyes glared at the ceiling as though it was the one at fault for his current predicament.

"I should just let this run its course. Besides, it won't be too long until I've relived all of those memories," he said bitterly to himself.

He had seen a pattern on those memories. It seemed that every one of those recollections was about his true beginning – the life he had lived he became an immortal. The first twenty-three years of his life that was dedicated to surviving and creating peace in a war-torn world. Given that, those memories were probably made up of his most painful ones.

_So damned troublesome,_ he concluded with a heavy sigh.

He perked up when he heard a knock on his door and felt a familiar presence behind it. He moved his gaze away from the ceiling as his younger brother entered his room. Ichiru had gotten taller though he was still a few inches short of Zero and his silver-colored hair had gotten much longer. He refused to cut it and instead kept it in a neat ponytail.

"Now, what are you brooding about, Nii-san?" Ichiru asked as he settled himself next to Zero who was still lounging on his bed. "Any new scheme rolling about in that devious mind of yours?"

The older Kiryuu leveled a flat stare at his brother. "Devious mind? I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. How can you even think of me in that manner, Ichiru?"

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you're not aware of how you deal with things or people on a daily basis," Ichiru replied with a smirk.

Zero continued to direct his gaze at Ichiru, and something flickered behind his eyes. Amusement, maybe?

"Enlighten me then of my so-called devious mind. Start with Kuran Rido," he said simply.

Ichiru raised a brow at the sudden request and wondered what was up with his older brother. Now that he looked closely, his brother seemed agitated. Far more than usual. He might as well consider this request as a test of some sort. Zero usually did teach him multiple lessons through simple tests like question and answers back when he was still little. He remembered the incident when they were staying at an inn and they climbed to the roof. Zero asked him to observe the people passing by and point out to him those he thought were hunters and vampires.

_Might as well help Nii-san by giving him something else to think about,_ he thought.

He had come to the conclusion that his brother must've remembered something he didn't want to remember. Zero was always so secretive about his past and when Ichiru asked once about it, his brother just told him that his past was filled with so many pains and regrets. He saw his brother's sorrow-filled eyes and knew from then on that he would never ask again. He didn't want to see such an expression on his brother's face again.

Ichiru loved his older brother.

That was the fact that had been pretty obvious since the very beginning.

His whole world probably revolved around the fact that he wanted to make Zero happy and he wanted to help his brother in whatever plans he had in this world. He would probably do anything as long as his brother asked it of him. He wasn't a naïve teenager and he was capable of fighting atrocious battles. It meant he would be able to keep up with his brother who sometimes indulged himself in violent scuffles. Kaien once told him bluntly that he was taking this family thing too far but what did that man know about them. He was never there for the last fifteen years of his life. Zero was the one who sacrificed a lot of things to keep him safe since he was a little boy so shouldn't the reverse happen as well. He was willing to do everything for the sake of his brother. He didn't even care if what his brother was doing would destroy this world.

Kiryuu Zero was the first person to ever really make an effort to get to know the real him after his true brother's death. His parents were distant with him no matter how hard they tried to make him feel welcomed. He understood that they loved him but there was a barrier that separated him from them. A barrier that seemed to grow bigger as time passed by. And it was so painful for his young mind to not feel accepted by his own family. Then one winter, he met _him_. Like a phantom that appeared from out of nowhere, Zero introduced himself. His kind voice. His gentle smile. His hands filled with unbridled warmth. Everything about Zero drew him in and before he knew it, he became attached to the man who saved him from his loneliness.

Zero could've abandoned him but instead he stayed. He didn't have any responsibility towards him but he remained by his side always. The immortal acted more like a family to him than the ones he grew up with. He knew that he wouldn't be half the person he was today if it wasn't for his brother. His most precious person and the only one he didn't want to lose.

_Just like you've been protecting me, I want to protect you too, Nii-san..._

In calm voice Ichiru then said, "Ever since you came out of hiding, you had Kuran Rido and his cohorts running about like headless chickens trying to find out if you're truly a vampire hunter and not a pureblood as he thought you were. Now that he knows you're a hunter, he wants more information about you. Which is useless since you've kept yourself too much of a secret. Absolutely no one in the vampire or hunter world knows anything more about you except your name. You killed some of the level E's in Rido's control just to prove a point that you're strong and not to be underestimated. That is why he won't attack you until he has sufficient data on you. You're not interfering much with him since you believe that he is Kuran Kaname's problem and not yours."

"Hiou Shizuka."

Ichiru thought about it for a minute before he answered, "You know where that woman is hiding since you've always been tracking her movements. But you've made no further attempts on her except to keep her in check. You mentioned to me that it would be better for us if we waited for her to make another mistake before we end her. A mistake that would ruin her in the eyes of the vampire community and make sure that we wouldn't be seen as villains when she's killed by our hands. Right now, you're baiting her to come to this academy by appearing as a teacher and from my impression this is the place where you're going to put your plan for her in effect. The plan that would likely end in her death."

"The Hunter Association."

"You subjected yourself to that blood test so you could claim the Kiryuu family name. As the eldest in the family, you're the one who's going to take a seat in the association meetings. That means you'll be more aware of the going-ons in the world. Furthermore, as a registered vampire hunter, you now have the backing of the association itself. You're currently playing the president's greed to your advantage. I don't know what your plan is but I'm guessing that it's bigger compared to Hiou Shizuka's."

Zero's pale eyes glowed and his lips curved in a small, amused smile.

"Very excellent deduction," Zero replied with a hint of pride in his voice. "You've perfectly summarized most of my recent actions and plans."

Ichiru burst out with a little laugh, just a snort really, and smiled a bit. "I learned from the best, after all," he said softly as he pointedly gazed at his older brother. His gaze turned sly as he said, "So…what's up with your game with Kuran Kaname? I must admit, though, the way you interacted with that vampire was masterful. Never imagined you'd be able to break his mask so easily. Tell me, was it really fun?"

"He's amusing. I've never met a pureblood like him before," Zero said thoughtfully. "He's different from those of his kind. He might be ruthless and cunning and wouldn't hesitate to use others for his goals. But deep inside, he's quite pure. It's because he doesn't seek power, he only seeks to protect. He's prepared to sacrifice every bit of himself for that single purpose. I like that quality in a person a lot."

Ichiru laughed at that statement. Trust his brother to be so contradicting. "If that is how you treat people you like, I hate to think what you would do to people you don't like."

"You'll find out soon enough," Zero replied with a smirk. "Besides, it's fun teasing him. He makes this game much more interesting than anticipated. He isn't as easily readable as the others so I don't know what to expect of him. Kaien begged me to stop baiting Kaname since he didn't want a repeat of the incident at the classroom."

"As if that would stop you. Let me guess, you lied to him and said you would stop. Right?" Ichiru uttered and he was proven correct when he saw the unmistakable amusement in his brother's eyes. "Man, I wish I could've seen your conversation with Kuran. You already fixed the damage so all I had was your word for it. I wanted to see it so badly."

"The classroom was totally thrashed and Kaien threw a fit over it. I had to fix it immediately for his sake," Zero replied flatly.

Ichiru huffed and then leaned forward, his elbows resting beside Zero and his eyes keen on his brother. "There's still something bothering you," he commented. "Would you like to share it with me?"

Zero seemed to think it over for a minute before he replied seriously, "I need you to listen to me."

"About what?" Ichiru asked as he lay down next to his brother.

Zero's eyes met Ichiru's, steady and penetrating. The silver-amethyst suddenly shifted to deep, radiant blue.

"My past, Ichiru. I need to tell you some things about my past…"

**- xXx -**

'_You can trust me but I doubt that would happen in your case. You're the type of person who doesn't trust others easily. I'm quite sure that you think I am an enemy to be eliminated. I won't try to change your mind. Every one is entitled to their own opinions. That is your freedom, Kuran-san."_

Kuran Kaname had never imagined he would ever meet someone so utterly fascinating like Kiryuu Zero. There was just something about the man that drew him in like a magnet. He knew that there were no lies in those words and though he was a bit iffy about trusting the man, he knew that Zero wouldn't intentionally harm Yuuki or the others in the academy.

He had to admit that he was drawn to Zero. The man had stumbled into his life when he'd least expected it, in the most unlikely of ways.

It was amazing how that short meeting sparked a _need_ for him to truly get to know that man. To understand who Kiryuu Zero was behind all that façade he built up. He knew for certain now that the man wasn't working for his uncle but it didn't mean that they were allies. Currently, they were on neutral grounds.

Of course, Zero was also a very frustrating individual.

Kaname couldn't count the number of times the man irritated him to all levels. That knowing grin. That glint in his eyes. The amusement radiating from his form. It was very clear that Zero was playing with him. And the most frustrating part of all was that he couldn't seem to control himself when he was with that man. Every wall of indifference he built up was torn so easily by Zero. All the emotions he buried deep within his heart were brought out in the open.

He let out a long-suffering breath.

_Why is all of this happening to me?_ He thought hopelessly.

Even Takuma had noticed that something was amiss with him. He had a nagging suspicion that the blonde knew something was going on between him and their new Literature teacher. The blonde had been mentioning Zero's name all the time in his presence and he found it annoying. That was why he did his best to avoid Takuma as much as possible.

It had already been a week since he lost his temper at the classroom. In that short space of time, he found out that Zero enjoyed teasing him. As much as he hated to admit it, he now sympathized with his subordinates. Was this what they felt like when he was the one doing the teasing and being extremely cryptic? It wasn't good being on the receiving end if that was the case.

He was brought out of his musings when he felt a familiar aura approach his room.

"Kaname, you should stop brooding like that. You're making the room so much darker and it doesn't need to be since its already dark enough as it is," Ichijou Takuma chided as he entered the room without knocking and sat on one of the armchairs.

The pureblood resisted the urge to sigh heavily. He was really in no mood to deal with Takuma's overly cheerful behavior. "What are you doing here?" he asked bluntly.

"You didn't show up during the meals so the others were a bit worried. Me, being the great friend that I am, decided to be the one to come here and see how you're doing," Takuma answered cheerfully. His emerald green eyes were glinting with mischief.

"I'm quite fine and since you've already seen me being fine. Please leave the room," he said tersely.

Takuma's expression was sulky and somewhat petulant. "But I don't want to leave. I just got here and I wanted to hang out with you. I can't believe you're throwing me out. What kind of friend are you?" he said with mock hurt.

"Takuma."

The blonde sighed exasperatedly. "Really, Kaname, you should lighten up. You're going to grow wrinkles with the way you're acting lately. You should do things that you think you'd enjoy instead of staying in your room brooding about who knows what," he said softly. Truly, if he left the pureblood alone, he'd just end up working himself to exhaustion.

"Your point being?" Kaname asked as he raised an eyebrow at that statement.

Takuma paused for a moment and hummed a bit before replying, "You should spend more time with Kiryuu-sensei."

Kaname's blank expression morphed into shock at the absurd suggestion coming from his friend's mouth.

"I noticed that whenever he's around you're somewhat enjoying yourself more," Takuma continued as if it was the most obvious thing in the entire world. That remark brought Kaname's gaze on him and the blonde knew that he hit a bull's eye there. He resisted the urge to chuckle suddenly as Kaname's garnet colored orbs narrowed at that comment.

"Why is it every time we talk about something lately, Kiryuu-san's name always pops out of your mouth?" Kaname asked pointedly as he continued to gaze at Takuma. He tried to glare at his friend but knew it was useless since Takuma was immune to those and it irritated him sometimes.

"For one thing, you're _very_ interested in sensei and though no one notices it much, I do because I'm good like that. You spend half the time in class gazing at him fixedly. Another is that you seemed to enjoy bantering or talking with him. You treat sensei like an equal, you know. He's not a pureblood but you act as if he was one," Takuma said nonchalantly as he watched Kaname finally sigh in defeat.

"I really can't hide anything from you, can't I?" Kaname muttered tiredly as he gazed at the ceiling. "I don't know why I'm acting that way with Kiryuu-san. He's different. Far different from anyone I met. I used my powers in front of him and he didn't even flinch. He wasn't afraid of me."

Unknown to the pureblood, Takuma burst into a wide smile.

_Oh, this is getting so good,_ the blonde thought excitedly.

"He spoke to me like I'm not Kuran Kaname, the pureblood vampire but just Kaname," the brunette continued honestly. He knew that Takuma would keep this conversation a secret.

The blonde noble understood how much it meant to Kaname for others to see him normally and not put him on a pedestal. So many vampires acted that way towards the pureblood and that was why Takuma could understand why Kaname wanted so badly to get to know Kiryuu-sensei. A man who knew exactly who Kaname was and yet disregarded his status and treated him like a normal person.

"So…what are you planning with Kiryuu-sensei? Is he an enemy or a friend?" Takuma asked. He sincerely hoped it was the latter.

"He's somewhere in between. He isn't my enemy yet he isn't my friend either. Still, I'm hoping that we don't become enemies. He's intelligent and quite resourceful. He knows a lot of things that most people don't know," Kaname replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "All in all, he's a particularly good ally to have. But he's a vampire hunter so it would be rather difficult considering that our relations are a bit strained lately. With what Shizuka and Rido did in the past, it isn't going to be easy to bridge that gap."

"I doubt that would be able to stop you."

"You're right. Maybe I do want to be his friend. But only because he's useful to my plans," Kaname said and he felt a bit miffed as he noticed Takuma's wide grin. Did the blonde have to be so happy with his answer?

Takuma smiled warmly. "That's great. You need more friends, Kaname. And I think Kiryuu-sensei's good for you. He seems to be a pleasant person and I have a feeling you'd get along with him," Takuma suggested. He stood up and walked about the room. He turned his head away from the pureblood as his expression turned grave.

_You're truly going to need powerful allies, Kaname. In order for you to win against your uncle and my grandfather, _he thought seriously. He knew that he wouldn't be enough to help his friend win the war he was waging. He was Kaname's spy and as he continued to lie to his grandfather about his intentions, he knew that it wouldn't be long until he was found out. If that happened, Kaname would be in a disadvantage.

Takuma's expression then shifted to a cheerful one as he turned to gaze at Kaname. "The others must be expecting me back by now. So I'll leave you to your devices. Good luck on the mission, Kaname."

"Thank you," Kaname replied sincerely.

Takuma's grin was mischievous and wicked at the same time. As if he had a great idea.

"Don't think this conversation is over, Kaname. I want to hear about the mission too. I'm going to get the details from you even if it's the last thing I do," Takuma said with amusement as he dodged a flying cushion courtesy of the pureblood. He laughed heartily as he strode out of the room. Careful to avoid another flying cushion heading in his direction. He waved his friend goodbye before closing the door behind him.

"You're so hopeless, Takuma," Kaname uttered as he rubbed his temples before standing up and retrieving the fallen cushions. Though he smiled a bit at his friend's antics which somehow reminded him a bit of Chairman Cross. His mood certainly improved with Takuma's help. His countenance turned serious as his eyes were drawn to the harmless looking envelope on his desk. It was a letter that carried the mission parameters.

A joint mission.

That was an unexpected event. Not only was he working with Zero, there was another hunter there as well. Still, he would make this mission count. He would test Zero's abilities and hopefully, be able to convince the man to work together with him. After all, unknown to Zero, they were both doing everything to protect their younger siblings. Shouldn't that be enough reason for them to actually be able to forge an alliance?

_I can't wait for you to show me what you're capable of, Kiryuu Zero._

* * *

**-chapter **03 **end-**

* * *

**Silvermaiden's Notes**

Once again, a big thank you for everyone who reviewed and added this story to their favorites and alerts list… =) You guys keep on inspiring me to write another chapter as fast as possible.

Also keep in mind though that this is an AU story and would loosely follow canon so there would be huge differences in both settings and characters. Since Zero is apparently from an altogether different dimension, it means that his world is different from the world the story is taking place in and therefore, his character is a bit different from canon!Zero. As well as his experiences and outlook in life.

Feedbacks and comments are always appreciated. =)


	5. 04 Disturbance of Fate (Part 1)

**Immortal Guardian**

04

_**Disturbance of Fate (Part 1)**_

* * *

"_Do you realize that the path you're going to take is dangerous? Once you get past this obstacle I reckon there will be no turning back. This'll be like an all or nothing deal."_

_Kaito Takamiya_

* * *

"_You know, Kaito, some days I wish I could just run away and leave all of this bloodshed far behind me."_

"_Zero-sama…"_

"_Lately, I feel tired. So very tired of these endless battles. There are times I ask myself: how many more times must I stain my hands red with the blood of my enemies and wage war for the sake of our so-called ideals? How many more times should I watch the people I care about die in front of my eyes and suffer a thousand deaths as a result before all of this carnage ends? And you know what my answer is: I don't know. I don't have a damned clue."_

"_It's the same with me, you know? Even if I wanted to, I can't give you a straight answer. Not one of us knows how long this godforsaken war would last."_

"…_Its fine, Kaito. Forget I even said anything just now. Probably my stupidity talking. God, I don't know what's wrong with me lately. I'm not usually this broody or emotional. I feel like a goddamned wreck. I reckon I even look like the part nowadays. Even my speech pattern had changed a bit."_

"_I noticed."_

"_That obvious, huh?"_

"_It's pretty hard not to miss considering how different you're acting lately."_

"…_You know, I am not the type of person to second guess anything that I do. I always move forward regardless of the trials that stand in my way. I attain what I want in whatever way possible and I always say to hell with the consequences. I am a monster and an arrogant bastard by other people's standards but I do not care one bit what they thought of me. What mattered to me was the opinion of those few I truly care about. Just that small acceptance allowed me to reach this far. It gave me a purpose to keep on living. But it seemed that it was not enough, Kaito."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_The truth is that I am faltering now of all times. I am losing the meager confidence that I have left. My mask is crumbling and I do not know how I could fix it. How pathetic am I becoming, Kaito? If Sara saw me now, she would realize that I am not as infallible as she thought I am."_

"_You're not pathetic, Zero-sama. It's normal for people to doubt themselves from time to time. Even I second guess myself especially when you drag me into one of your crazy schemes. Point is its normal human behavior…Don't look at me like that. You're as human as any of us. They're wrong in saying that you're not. They had no right to treat you that way…"_

"_It is all in the past, Kaito. We cannot change what happened with my life."_

"_I know. Damn it, I know! But it still doesn't stop me getting pissed off just thinking about it. And for the record, you're far from fine. It's about damned time you finally noticed it."_

"…"

"_You're being irrational by carrying all these burdens by yourself. You're going to break down at the rate you're putting yourself through. Learn to rely on others every now and then. Isn't that the reason why most of us were here? Do you have so little trust in us that you thought you had to do everything by yourself? You're not alone in this battle, Zero-sama. You never were, so please stop pretending that you are."_

"_You are truly a master at changing subjects at the drop of a hat…"_

"_Zero-sa–"_

"_You are wrong. I have never once thought I was alone when everyone is with me. I trust you and the others with my life. You were the ones who save me from my own personal darkness. I would not even be here if it were not for everyone. All of you are my family and it is because I care so much that I am willing to sacrifice everything of me just to keep all of you safe. I am selfish person, Kaito. It is because of that selfishness that I want to keep everyone with me for as long as possible. I do not want to lose anyone ever again."_

"_How can someone so intelligent be an idiot as well? You know Zero-sama, you always put up this front. You go on and on how you would do anything to protect your precious people. Did you ever stop to think you were precious to us too?"_

"_Kaito…"_

"_You're our leader. Our Silver King. Our most precious person. We are prepared to lay down our lives for you and your cause. But that doesn't necessarily mean that unlike you we want to hurry to our deaths."_

"…"

"_It's fine. You don't have to say anything. Touga-sensei did say you're kind of awkward when it comes to these kinds of things. I just want you to take care of yourself more. Also, going back to the topic earlier, we won't hold it against you if you want to stop fighting. Most of us know that you've done your fair share in this war. It's rather cruel of us to ask you to keep on fighting our battles for us. It's time we do our share of work…"_

**- xXx -**

"I can't believe those guys are late," Takamiya Kaito stated flatly as he paced back and forth in front of the gateway leading towards the train station, his long brown coat flapping behind him.

He wondered what the hell was taking those two so long. He had been at this place for about half an hour already and his patience was steadily growing thinner as the minutes ticked by. But then again, he should've expected this from _that Kuran_. The pureblood bastard must've deemed this mission unimportant compared to his other tasks and so decided that being late wouldn't really matter that much. Just the thought of that arrogant prick made his blood boil.

_Freaking vampire bastard making me wait for him!_ He thought heatedly as he ran his right hand in frustration on his messy, ash brown hair.

He pushed his irritation towards the bloodsucker aside and focused his thoughts on his other companion. He didn't know much about the other guy except that he's a Kiryuu and he's Ichiru's older brother. Judging from that, they might be a bit close in age. The man's sudden appearance caused a shit storm inside the association and so here he was trying to determine if the older Kiryuu was top vampire hunter material. From what he heard from Touga-sensei, the man possessed weird yet powerful psychic abilities. That was rare even by vampire hunter standards. There were few on their ranks that had those kinds of skill sets but his sensei mentioned that Kiryuu Zero was on a whole different level. No wonder their current president seemed too giddy at the prospect of recruiting Zero. Well, he'll witness firsthand on this mission if it was true or not.

Now that he thought about the mission, he found it extremely perplexing that he would be working with a vampire, a pureblood one at that. True that he hated vampires especially purebloods considering what happened to his family but he could control himself better than the others in the association. Maybe that was the primary reason he was chosen out of everyone else. Somehow that sentiment didn't make him feel any better about this. On the contrary, it served to aggravate him more.

He blew out a breath and closed his eyes briefly.

He would have to swallow his anger and play nice with Kuran all throughout the mission. Definitely not on the list of things he was looking forward to on this assignment. On a good note, at least he wasn't alone to deal with the arrogant prick. Ichiru's older brother was also a part of the mission.

He suddenly stopped his pacing and his hazel-colored eyes gazed once again at his wristwatch for the time.

"I apologize for being late, Takamiya-san," a soft masculine voice spoke from just right behind him, nearly making him jump out of his skin with shock.

Doing his best to hide his surprise, Kaito carefully turned around to gaze at a man who was wearing a black knee-length trench coat over his casual clothes and a newsboy cap to cover the majority of his silver hair. He tried to calm his wildly pacing heart.

_What the frickin' hell just happened! _He thought, startled.

He had never been caught off guard like that in a very long time. Being a vampire hunter meant that his senses were honed to detect the slightest change in his environment. That was what made him one of the best in the association. Yet this guy managed not to alert him of his presence. He hadn't even heard or sensed the man sneak behind him. _He moved like a panther_, he thought from out of the blue. Kiryuu Zero was lithe and silent as the night. Not a bad analogy now that he thought about it.

Silver-amethyst eyes twinkled in amusement.

Kaito heaved an internal sigh as he finally realized that Zero must've scared the crap out of him on purpose. That miffed him a bit. Though he had to admit that he would _want _to get along well with the older Kiryuu. The man seemed like fun company. At least, Kiryuu Zero had a _personality_ unlike the others in the Hunter Association. The other guys there were excellent hunters but boring companions and Kaito if anything loved a good company. It made the assignment more bearable and exciting especially if they were going to some ghost town or to some backwards country.

He had to admit to himself that he didn't have that many friends because of his rather blunt and sarcastic personality. His love of stirring trouble and seeing what happened as a result was another factor that turned people away from him and into another direction, preferably far away from him. Rumors of his unethical behavior and ruthlessness during hunts further isolated him from the other hunters.

Also, even though he and Ichiru shared the same teacher, they disliked each other immensely. He always had the opinion that Ichiru was a spoilt brat and that hadn't changed after all these years.

Zero gave him an apologetic smile. "There was slight problem regarding my class that I had to fix immediately. I apologize once more for making you wait for too long. Is there any way for me to make it up to you, Takamiya-san?" he said sincerely. His expression mild and pleasant.

_Whoa, he's so different from Kiryuu Ichiru. Older Kiryuu's more polite, kind and friendly than that brat. It seems like the only thing the siblings shared would be their unique coloring,_ Kaito observed with slight amusement. Oh, he definitely wanted to be this guy's friend. He couldn't wait to see Ichiru's reaction to that. It was no secret in the vampire hunter community that Ichiru didn't have a high opinion of him. Their short meetings usually ended up exchanging barb words and sarcastic remarks. One time they even came close to dishing out blows to each other. That was why the association knew better than to send the two of them on the same mission.

He offered a grin in return. He didn't understand why but he felt terribly at ease with the older Kiryuu. As if he knew the guy for a very long time.

"Treat me to a good meal after this mission is over with and we'll call it even," Kaito said, his voice more open, relaxed. "Also, just call me Kaito. Takamiya-san makes me feel old. And from the school records that Chairman Cross gave me, we're roughly the same age."

The silver-haired hunter laughed good-naturedly.

"You can call me Zero then, if you want," Zero said in a mild tone. "What you said earlier sounds good. I'll treat you to a good restaurant around town. Kaien did mention to me that the food around these parts were delectable." He shifted his now impassive gaze towards Kaito's shoulder. "Any suggestions, _Kuran-san_?"

"The Italian restaurant near the central park serves good food."

Kaito was once again surprised by the sudden voice coming from behind him and he whirled around to face the dark-haired pureblood. Kuran Kaname wore a dark brown coat over a black dress shirt and pants. As usual, the vampire was a picture of perfection. The arrogant smirk playing over the pureblood's features struck a nerve in him.

_What the hell is going on!_ The hunter thought as he tried very hard not to show any surprise on his features. He couldn't believe that another person managed to get behind him so easily. He wondered briefly if he was finally losing his touch. No, that wasn't it. These guys were simply too good. They hid their presences well and blended in with the surroundings. He could do it to a certain degree but not as well as these two apparently.

It seemed that he was surrounded by talented and quite powerful individuals. To be able to get under a vampire hunter's radar especially one of his caliber spoke volumes of their skill level. If anything, he had the impression that this mission was bound to get exciting.

"That's rather unfair, calling me by my last name. It makes me feel rather left out. We're not at the academy at this moment and technically, I'm older than the both of you," Kaname pointed out as he gazed steadily at Zero, trying to convey some sort of message. He smiled as he said, "Please, I insist that that the both of you call me Kaname."

Kaito had a feeling that it wasn't a request but more like an order.

Instead of blowing a gasket at the audacity of this vampire to order him around, he merely nodded his head at that. He reminded himself that he had to play nice with the man if he wanted this mission to turn out successfully.

"Since we're all here, there's no point in wasting any more time," Kaito uttered, heading towards the gateway. "Let's get those train tickets and get this show on the road."

He smirked as he thought about how the mission would go smoothly from here on out. He was a hundred percent sure that everything would go according to plan.

**- xXx -**

Kiryuu Zero's penetrating gaze was settled on the town in quiet observation. He was currently sitting on the inn's roof, his back leaning against the chimney. On the surface, everything seemed to be normal – far too normal for hunters to be called here for a mission. The marketplace in the center of the town was alive with countless of individuals up for their morning activities. The streets were filled with people hurrying towards different destinations. The general atmosphere was too bright, too cheery and too peaceful. Of course, that was what the townspeople wanted outsiders to believe.

Because the fact remained that five or more people mysteriously vanish in this town every month.

It was far too common for those human's disappearances to be considered a mere coincidences. It was probably the main reason why the Hunter Association sent them here of all places. Despite not having evidence that the disappearances were a work of a rogue vampire or hunter, this town still required in-depth investigation. A good decision by the association if he could say so himself.

From his point of view, this town was _abnormal_.

Right from the moment he stepped onto the platform, he knew that this town was far from peaceful. He could _feel _the death and despair oozing within its walls. He didn't know what caused it but this mission was turning out to be better than he imagined it to be. It was too interesting and definitely chased away the boredom of his inaction for the past few days.

He shielded his eyes as he looked up at the azure sky with wispy clouds floating past. His other hand was absently fingering the ancient sigil hidden inside the folds of his coat.

'_Some things are beyond your control. Even you, Zero. You can refuse to walk any path you want, for your will and rewards are your own, but some fates will find you.'_

He mentally groaned when another familiar memory penetrated his subconscious.

He remembered _that man_ telling him those words right before he left the town he was born in. He never looked back as he departed intent on leaving his terrible past behind and start from the beginning. He wondered if perhaps that man was aware of what he would become the moment he left. That he was changed and not for the better. That a few years later, he would resurface from the shadows and become widely known as the Silver King.

In hindsight, he supposed that his transformation from a village pariah to a war leader was a long time coming. Perhaps he was truly fated to rise and become the infamous Silver King. After all, every path he treaded and experiences he accumulated all throughout his life only led to him securing that position.

He remembered that ever since he was little, he was not entirely happy with himself. From his shyness to his lack of confidence due to the treatment of his peers. From his limited freedom to his solitude. As well as his inability to protect himself from pain both physical and emotional. He had been trying hard to be what he wanted without losing the essential goodness that was a big part of his personality. He wanted to be strong – stronger than anyone else. But it seemed that life had something else in store for him. After that _incident_, the one that changed his life in ways he would never forget, he decided not to go on such a gentle route anymore and he had thrown away literally everything in some monomaniacal urge to cleanse himself of the weaknesses he had always despised in himself. He knew that others thought it was sad, tragic even, but he could not deny the fact that he was far happier being that way.

The people he considered important to him had accepted him despite his rather dark and ruthless personality and that was enough for him. Kaito once told him: _'I accept you for what you are, the good and the bad, the same way you've accepted me, despite the problems within my family.' _He tried very hard to deny the fact that the statement made him very happy. Probably the reason why he was closer to the man than anyone else in their ragtag group of misfits.

Thinking of Takamiya Kaito…

It seemed that this world's version of him resembled him greatly, down to the last detail. They were so similar in personality that he was bombarded with feelings of nostalgia during their first meeting. The others he met in this world were different from their counterparts and he had expected it would be the same with Kaito. Imagine his surprise when he was apparently mistaken in that notion.

Zero sighed and dropped his head into his hands.

This was going to be troublesome especially now that he was being randomly attacked by past memories. Kaito was his best friend in his original world and that bond had stayed with him even after all these years. Having the memories come into play, his emotions would be unguarded with the hunter and the familiar bond would enhance said emotions. He would have a hard time looking at Kaito as though they were just strangers because his mind would tell him that they were close friends.

_Quite an upsetting predicament,_ he thought wryly.

Before his mind could come up with solutions to his newest problem, his senses registered a familiar dark and powerful aura. The presence of the last person on this world he wanted to see at that very moment.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Kuran-san?" Zero said politely, pushing his previous thoughts to the back of his mind. A small smile played on his lips, one that didn't reach his eyes, as he turned his gaze to the side and saw the pureblood staring at him intently.

Kaname smiled his gentle smile. "I thought perhaps if we got to know each other a bit, this tension between us could dissipate. I also apologize for our last meeting given that I had been very rude to you and I had no right to say those cruel things. I have no excuses to offer for my behavior at that time," he said in the softest of tones. He remembered their last disastrous conversation right before this mission and he fought the urge to wince at the memory of it. It explained the reason why the silver-haired man was so polite yet so distant from him. He couldn't blame the man though he had been very ruthless in his words that time.

"That is an interesting idea, in its own way," Zero mused, his features now impassive.

The pureblood did have a point since the tension in the air when they were in close proximity with each other was far too heavy to ignore. It would also ruin the team dynamics and would definitely get in the way of this mission. Considering just how important this assignment was, they couldn't afford to fail.

When he thought about the argument, he reasoned that half of it was Kaname's fault. The vampire just _had_ to trigger his ire which led to exchanging barb words as well as threats of bodily harm instead of their usual good-natured teasing. It was quite a surprise since he didn't expect his temper to explode like that. But when he remembered just how the conversation went, it was surely inevitable.

Kaname sighed. "Oh? You don't believe I came here to make nice? That's not very kind of you Zero, aren't you thinking the worst of me?"

Zero narrowed his eyes. "I'm just surprised by your request, _Kuran-san._"

Contrary to what Kaname believed, Zero didn't hate him. Not entirely. Frustrated or irritated would be the correct word. The reason for his coldness was that he wanted to distance himself from the pureblood for a while. Those words that Kaname had said hit a bit too close to home and opened up wounds best left forgotten.

"Is it so impossible that I want to only get to know you?" Kaname asked.

"No, in fact I think it is charming of you to try," Zero said. His voice was pleasant, but that promising glint was anything but. "However, it _insults_ me that you think I do not know that when you mean to get to know each other, you only mean you will get to know me and you will just feed me a scrap or two of half-truth, half-bullshit. Let us not beat around the bush, Kuran Kaname, very few people know the _real_ you. That mask of yours goes deeper than your skin. I do not believe you'll really tell me anything significant about you." Zero was direct and to the point, not interested in going around in circles with the vampire in front of him. Usually he was okay with long-winded conversations but his current irritation with Kaname proved it impossible to do so.

Kaname blinked, taken aback. Then slowly, his eyes cleared up in understanding; he had severely underestimated this man, and now he knew it.

"I believe that I've told you once that you are quite something, Zero. I haven't met someone else who had spoken to me in this manner. To tell you the truth, it's a bit refreshing," he said with an honest smile. "Perhaps you know a bit more about me than you profess…perhaps even more than you think."

"Perhaps," Zero replied coldly.

Kaname sighed once again, knowing that they weren't making any headway towards reconciliation. "Look, I'm very sorry about what happened earlier. I was frustrated with a lot of things and needlessly I took it out on you. It was childish of me and downright cruel to accuse you of things that weren't even true. I have no idea what has gotten into me lately. I usually think before I act and it's safe to say I didn't use my brain earlier and it led to this." He gestured towards the two of them.

Zero took two deep breaths and calmed down, the storm in his eyes dissipating. He was also acting very immaturely. He had to remedy that. Kaname had let go of his pride just to apologize for what happened. The least he could do was forgive the pureblood and start over as he suggested.

"Why don't we just forget the previous meeting ever happened? After all, I hate for it to color the rest of our interactions. As you've said, we're adults yet we're acting so immaturely right now. That why let's start over again," Zero suggested rationally. "My name is Kiryuu Zero. A pleasure to meet you."

The pureblood was surprised by the sudden turn of events but he wouldn't let this chance pass up. He offered his hand which Zero took. "Kuran Kaname. It's a pleasure as well," he uttered, vowing to himself not to make the same mistake again. He was truly glad that this enmity had been cleared up. He didn't understand the reason but he didn't want to have Zero hate him. The thought that they would cease those usual banters sent a pang of sadness in his heart.

_Was that the reason why I was desperate to mend bridges with him? Because I would miss his companionship?_ Kaname wondered in surprise.

He was brought out of his musings when Zero laughed aloud. It was a nice sound to Kaname's ears. "Now that problem is settled. It seems that Kaito needs our help, Kaname. It looks like he ran into some trouble along the way," Zero said in a much warmer tone of voice.

**- xXx -**

"What the hell just happened? I mean it, _what the frickin' hell just happened?_ Why the heck are we in jail of all places?" Kaito said as he struggled to control his voice. Which took a lot of effort on his part with the way he was currently pissed off. Their plans for this assignment were steadily going down the drain so fast, it wasn't even vaguely amusing. "Everything was going smoothly. We bought the tickets and boarded the train. We arrived a few hours later in this town and stayed in an inn. We started gathering information and lo and behold, we ran into someone from the Hunter Association. A few minutes later, we were suddenly arrested and brought to jail. _What the heck is up with that?_"

His expression was as dark as thunderclouds as he leaned against the brick wall of the prison cell and played with the handcuffs on his wrists. He looked up and glared at the red-haired young woman who was hunched in the corner with her back turned away from everyone else. And just like the others, she was handcuffed as well.

"I said I was sorry for accidentally leading the enemies to you. What more do you want me to say _Baka Kaito?_ Do you want me to get down on my knees and beg for your forgiveness? Because hell would freeze over before I do something even remotely close to that, _Kaito Teme. _Get off your high horse, you asshole!" the young woman hissed as her emerald-green eyes also glared back, momentarily forgetting her previous pity party. She knew that it was her fault but it didn't mean that Kaito had to throw the fact into her face all the damned time.

Kaito felt his eye twitch continually at the insults spewing out of the red-head's mouth.

_Inoue Karina…_

Out of all the hunters who could've ran into them, it had to be _her_.

He didn't have anything against the young woman but she did have a knack for getting into trouble during missions. He had heard from other hunters how she usually messed up especially during undercover assignments. After all those mishaps, he figured she would be sent back to training school. Sadly, that didn't happen. Because aside from being the ultimate poster girl of the association, she was also a talented sniper – one of the few who was currently under the employ of the Hunter Association. Too bad her talent only applied to that.

He had met her a few times in the headquarters and found to his surprise that she was a real firecracker. She was a young woman who wasn't willing to back down from challenges and given his nature, he tried to poke fun at her. Thus, their current love-hate relationship.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here, Inoue-san? I thought Kaito was the one assigned on this mission," Zero asked politely, trying to diffuse the impending argument.

Karina instantly switched gears and she was now smiling cheerfully at Zero. "You can call me Karina, Zero-senpai. You're older than me, after all. And as for your question early, the guy I've been following arrived at this town a few days back. I was unaware that there were other hunters assigned on this area. My assignment was to gather evidence of my target's involvement with human trafficking. He's a noble vampire with a clean record but the association dug up some clues that he's involved with that shady business."

"I see…" Zero said thoughtfully. "This does certainly fit together with our mission, doesn't it?"

Kaname who had been silent for the past few minutes suddenly spoke up, "Yes, it does. It certainly explains the disappearances around this town. It looks like your target has dealings with ours. Given their current positions, a noble and a prison warden, not one of the townspeople would suspect them of being involved in any illegal activity."

"Also, with this prison, they could hide the evidence of their crimes. No one would think to search the inside of a high security prison cell. Since this place extends underground, level ends could be hidden with no problem at all." Zero said as he now understood why he felt those kinds of dark feelings when he arrived in town.

"Level ends?" Karina asked in confusion.

Kaname smirked as he understood what Zero was implying. "There are some noble vampires with the ability to control lower-ranked vampires. It is not as extensive as a pureblood but quite enough to give them orders like for example: capture or kidnap someone."

"Whoa! Zero-senpai and Kaname-san are really good at piecing facts together," Karina said with admiration.

"Zero-senpai? Kaname-san?" Kaito repeated, his eye twitching. "You refer to me as _Baka Kaito_ all the time. Why the sudden politeness with them?"

"Because Zero-senpai and Kaname-san deserves it," Karina replied instantly.

"As amusing it is to watch you two squabble like two little children, we've already wasted enough time as it is," Kaname said his voice sharp and to the point. "Since we're already deep inside the enemy's territory, we should just use this opportunity and complete the mission."

As if to further prove the point he was making, the handcuffs on his wrist shattered into tiny pieces. It was a good thing that the handcuffs were ordinary and not the anti-vampire ones that hunters usually use.

"Can't blame you for getting quite impatient, Kaname. Spending the rest of the day in jail is not entertaining," Zero uttered with a soft smile as he easily snapped the chains with practical ease.

Karina blinked rapidly. To say she was thrown off balance was understatement. Did nothing faze those two at all? From the way they spoke, it was as if they were spending time in an inn or something. She looked to her right and saw Kaito picking the lock of his handcuffs. Without thinking more about it, she also tried to get the handcuffs off.

As soon as all of them were free from the bindings, the pureblood blasted the door open with his powers, alarming the sentry who stood guard in front of their cell. Before the man could alert the other guards, Zero easily knocked him out with a well-placed chop to the back of the neck. Karina knelt down and stole the unconscious man's gun, seeing that her weapons were taken from her.

Zero felt vaguely amused with the way things were going. Of course, he had no intention of stopping Kaname and decided to just go with the flow. He reached inside his coat and took out the anti-vampire weapon Kaien had given him a few days back. The silver gun etched with intricate markings was a true work of art. Kaien said that its name was Bloody Rose. He reloaded it, checking each round with the same methodical care he usually gave his clothes. He flicked back his coat and clipped the weapon away. Then he smoothed out the folds, making sure the weapon didn't leave any telltale signs.

"No way! Why wasn't your gun confiscated?" Karina asked in disbelief as she noticed that Zero still had a gun even though they were inside a prison cell and as a prisoner to boot. How the heck did that happen? That was impossible!

She was still in shock when out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kaito arranging the knives hidden in the sleeves of his trench coat. _What the?!_

"How did you guys do that? My weapons were taken straight away. That's…that's so unfair," Karina whined childishly as she walked alongside Kaito. Why was she the only one in this group who had her weapons confiscated? It didn't make any sense to her at all how they managed to hide theirs with all those routine check-ups.

All of a sudden, the sirens sounded through the prison and they stopped momentarily at that noise. They looked at each other and their eyes conveyed the same message. Get out of this place fast.

Without thinking twice, all of them took off at a run and passed several corridors with no exit in sight. Zero moved at the front and his eyes turned bright blue for a second as he expanded his senses. He could easily feel the presence of several level ends getting closer as they now ventured deep into the heart of this prison. It seemed that this town was truly hiding deadly secrets.

Once his eyes changed back to silver, he gestured for the others to follow him.

Karina gasped as she blurted out, "They already found us out. This fast too!"

"Considering that this is a prison, they must have quite a few security measures," Zero uttered as they ran to another set of doors and corridors. He didn't say it out loud but he found it quite odd not to run into any personnel every since the alarm sounded. Usually, the corridors would be swarming with guards intent on capturing them. He looked towards Kaname and saw that the pureblood must've been thinking along the same lines.

"What do mean by security measures, Zero-senpai?" Karina asked with curiosity coloring her voice. "Are you talking about traps to capture those who plan to escape? Let's see…something like collapsing roofs or large boulders rolling after us? Those kinds of traps?" she suggested cheerily.

"I see that your knack for stating the impossible remains unparalleled, Karina," Kaito said curtly, his ire for the young woman still there. "You should learn not to let your imagination get the head of you if you want to ascend the ranks. No wonder you're still on the bottom of the ladder."

Karina was about to unleash a barrage of curse words at him but she saw Zero signal them all to be quiet. Now that there was silence, they listened to something that sounded from far away. There was the sound of rocks scraping along the passage and one thing was certain, none of them like that noise one bit.

"What was that sound just now?" Kaito asked as he raised an eyebrow in confusion. He looked up and saw that the ceiling was cracking. "What the hell is this!" he shouted as it started to collapse.

"Such childish and primitive traps..." Kaname uttered, sounding bored. "It seems that our enemies are severely underestimating us. It looks like I have to straighten whoever it is out since I rather dislike being taken too lightly."

He took off into the direction of the open doorway, closely followed by the others. He could stop the ceiling with his powers but it would risk the whole place collapsing and the mastermind behind this mess getting away. Having those thoughts, he knew that doing this the conventional way seems a better option no matter how likely they would be walking straight into a trap.

"Count me in as well. I'll beat whoever it is to the ground for this," Kaito uttered tersely. Really, today was becoming the worst day of his entire life. The sooner this mission was over, the sooner he could go home.

Zero opted to remain silent but if one would look closely, his expression spoke of his amusement with the current situation.

_This mission is truly interesting_, he thought as soon as they reached the door and the ceiling finally collapsed, burying the room with rubble.

**- xXx -**

"Oh my, this is terribly wonderful! It looks like this world just got a little more interesting…"

A sugar-sweet voice broke through the dark room as a young woman lying on the four-poster bed suddenly sat up with interest. It was as if she had just felt something off shift in the air around her. She had been feeling those strange sensations for a while now and at long last, she was about to connect it.

_It's been a very long time,_ she mused.

She picked up a large stuffed bear and hugged it tightly on her bosom as her lips curved up into a sly smile. She leaned further back against the bed in amusement as she found out what the feeling was. How amusing. She hadn't thought _he_ would show up here of all places, but then again, that aura shouldn't exist in the first place. They didn't belong here or anywhere for that matter.

She giggled, and then she was laughing, snorting with mirth, helpless to free herself. She couldn't believe that _he_ was here. To think that she almost gave up ever finding that man. So ironic!

As soon as she got her laughter under control, the young woman stood up and gave a stretch before heading towards a large map that was embedded into the wall of her room.

"After so many long years and countless different worlds, I've finally found you. The person who is the source of both my love and hatred. You'll be mine, my King…I'll break you slowly but surely and after that, you'll be by my side for all of eternity…"

She lifted up a hand, her forefinger outward first and stabbed a single spot on the said map.

"So this is where you've been hiding. Wait for me, Kiryuu Zero, my beloved Silver King. I'm coming to see you soon…"

* * *

**-chapter **04 **end-**

* * *

**Silvermaiden's Notes**

Once again I thank all of you readers for taking time to review my story! Truly, you guys inspire me to continue writing chapters to the best of my ability. Also, thank you for those who added this fiction to their favorites and alerts list. =)

This chapter ended with the mission still unfinished but no worries, next chapter would feature the conclusion of this assignment and would open up the long-awaited arc featuring Zero and Shizuka's fated reunion at Cross Academy. Truthfully, I'm very excited with writing that arc since I had a lot of ideas in store for it. I've already put up an outline of the arc and I could say that several secrets would be revealed especially the identity of the person features in the last part of this chapter. =3


	6. 05 Disturbance of Fate (Part 2)

**Immortal Guardian**

05

_**Disturbance of Fate (Part 2)**_

* * *

"_I'll teach that man a lesson he would never forget. I'll show him what it means to pick a fight with the Silver King."_

_Zero Kiryuu_

* * *

"_She managed to escape from her prison cell, didn't she?"_

"_I don't know why you're asking me that question when you already know full well the answer. But nonetheless, I've decided to humor you by answering, my King. Yes, that traitor escaped from under your so-called elite guards noses. I have to say, they're quite an incompetent bunch. I don't understand why you surround yourself with those weaklings. You can do so much better than those pieces of trash."_

"_It is not their fault she escaped. If anyone was to blame for this mess, it is me. After all, I trained her. I gave her the necessary tools to become this strong. Suffice to say, I created the person she is now. I am partly at fault that she became a traitor."_

"_I don't think the blame lies in you, Zero-sama. She was always such an unstable little bitch. Even though she's your student and you treated her like a little sister, she wanted so much more from you. 'My beloved Silver King this…My beloved Silver King that.' Constantly trying to grab your attention. Greedy little thing, isn't she? That's why she was always susceptible to losing herself to the demons inside her. It's because of her own insecurities. She's strong but she's weak where it truly counts."_

"_It's quite amusing that you don't have a high opinion of her."_

"_I disliked her with every fiber of my being the moment I first set my eyes on her. I've never hated anyone as much as I hated her. She always asked more from you and it pissed me off every time. You already made it clear to her that you would never see her as nothing more than a little sister and yet she won't accept it. She even tried to keep on clamoring for your attention, hoping to keep you all to herself and she had the nerve to act so high and mighty in front of me. Doesn't she know who I am? I'm Shirabuki Sara, the vampire queen. I am someone she should respect and bow down to."_

"_Well, I doubt she still loves me. After all, I was the one who murdered her older sister. I am quite sure that because of that, I am now the object of her hatred. She has a one track mind when it comes to these kinds of things."_

"_I heard about that incident. I guess that bitch couldn't understand that you had no choice in that matter. Her sister was too far gone to save. From what I garnered, the older sister became a level end class A. Those kinds of vampires are powerful yet mindless beings. They revel in death and destruction. No amount of 'love' is going to bring back anyone from that brink."_

"_The best anyone could do to ease the suffering is end their existence."_

"_Too true. It's what we've always done… Though, it must've been a nightmare for that girl. After all, the man she loved with all her heart killed her beloved older sister. In front of her eyes no less. So tragic and cruel, Zero-sama. You didn't even hesitate that time from what the others told me."_

"_There wasn't any other alternative left. With her death, hundreds of others were spared. What is one loss compared to many…"_

"_So, what are you going to do with her now?" _

"_Leave her to her own devices for the moment. If I am correct in my judgment, she will come back here soon. I am her sole target. She would not be satisfied until she had her revenge against me."_

"_As if I'll let her do that. You should just let me go and kill her already. It'll save us all the trouble later. I can find her easily with my powers. Even if she's your student, I'm still more powerful than her."_

"_There is no need for that, Sara. We do not have the luxury of dividing our forces considering the war is already in full swing. You are an important part of the plan. I cannot have you leave my side now of all times. Besides, she is my problem. If anyone has the right to kill her, it would be me. She is a loose end I need to tie up."_

"_That is why I love you, my Silver King. You're kind, warm and honest to those who you consider precious to you. You're an amazing leader and a strong individual. Yet you're also so cold blooded when you need to be. All of those are qualities I truly love in a man." _

"_Kindness won't save this world from destruction, Sara. I learned that fact a long time ago. It was a lesson I would never forget. Or rather, it was a lesson _they _would never let me forget." _

**- xXx -**

"How could such a thing happen right under my nose?! Why didn't I hear about this from anyone?!" Kiryuu Ichiru exclaimed in frustration. He slammed both of his hands against the chairman's desk and glared heatedly at the wide-eyed man sitting behind it. He took no notice of the tell-tale cracks on the furniture as he kept his gaze straight on Cross Kaien. "Why did you have to send my Nii-san together with the two biggest assholes on this planet?!"

Kaien sweat dropped as he faced the younger Kiryuu whose glare seemed to gain intensity every passing second. "Well…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say. He had completely forgotten that Zero had an overly-attached younger brother who hated Kuran Kaname as well as Takamiya Kaito with every fiber of his being. He wasn't prepared to deal with this kind of event. He didn't even know any excuses to appease the livid teenager.

"My Nii-san can handle any mission without help especially from that bastard pureblood. Not only is that bloodsucker there, Takamiya moron is there as well. If the Hunter Association needed someone to gauge my older brother's abilities, I'm more than enough for it or if they don't want me, Yagari-shishou or anyone else would've sufficed," Ichiru said vehemently. "_Anyone except those two arrogant pricks."_

Kaien chuckled nervously as he tried to soothe Ichiru's anger. "It's too late to change things, Ichi-kun. What's done is done. We can't change the past, you know? No use whining about this matter."

Ichiru's expression promised death, for a start.

"It's your entire damned fault," the silver-haired teenager's harsh voice was full of accusation.

"Eh? That's kind of mean, Ichi-kun. Blaming me for something like this…"

The younger Kiryuu turned away from Kaien and began to pace as he muttered heatedly, "Nii-san has a weird sense of humor. I've seen firsthand what things he did just to keep himself amused and far from being bored. Nii-san hates being bored and he'll go to any lengths to make sure he isn't. Since he knows that I hate Kuran and Takamiya, he's going to befriend those assholes just to annoy me continually. Annoying me means he won't get bored because I can't seem to keep my emotions in check when it involves those bastards."

Kaien raised an eyebrow at that. "Aren't you over thinking things, Ichi-kun?"

"I'm not over thinking things. I've been with Nii-san since I was little that's why I know it's a fact. I even asked him once about why he keeps on teasing me and you know what he said: _'Isn't it the job of a brother to poke fun at his siblings every once in a while? Besides, Ichiru-kun's really cute when he's angry!'_" Ichiru's eyes twitched as he remembered his brother saying those words with that infuriating smirk on his face. "Now that I think about it… Nii-san's pretty much an asshole himself…No wonder he gets along with the other assholes on the planet…"

Kaien chuckled weakly. He didn't really know what to say to that.

"Still, I won't allow him to be buddy-buddy with those two," Ichiru continued with a determined glint in his eyes. "You better hope those two keep their hands off my brother or else there will be hell to pay…" he trailed off venomously.

_I can definitely see the resemblance of the two siblings. They both have the same knack of scaring the living daylights out of people with words alone, _Kaien thought exasperatedly.

'_Dare to try anything like that on me again, and I will slit your throat without any qualms.'_ Zero had said those words to him years ago when a little joke had gone too far and he learned that time that the immortal wasn't someone a person would want to make an enemy out of. Zero could be so scary when he wanted to be. That kind exterior really hid the fact that the man was very dangerous. He remembered being rendered speechless by those words and later on found himself trying to do anything and everything to appease the irate immortal.

_This was probably a bad case of déjà vu…_

Trying to lighten up the situation, he tried joking with the younger Kiryuu. "You know, you're rather possessive of your brother? That's not healthy Ichi-kun! Having an older brother complex!"

Ichiru's eyes turned hard, cold, and sharp. Needless to say, Kaien's little misplaced joke backfired spectacularly and the teenager looked more livid than ever before. It seemed as if Kaien had just stepped on a very dangerous landmine. One that was set to explode mere seconds after stepping on it.

"I'm not possessive of Nii-san and I don't have an older brother complex! Stop making stupid things up!" Ichiru said vehemently. He resisted the urge to throttle the man behind the desk. His Nii-san always reminded him to control his temper and to ignore _everything _insignificant that Kaien tells him.

Surely, this counts as something insignificant?

"I'm just joking, Ichi-kun. You know me? I love to joke," Kaien said weakly, his smile threatening to vanish from the sheer nervousness of being faced with an angry Kiryuu.

_I can't believe that not only did the siblings inherit Shirou's looks; they also inherited his legendary temper!_

Ichiru looked skeptical. "Really? It didn't sound like a joke from where I'm standing," he said suspiciously. A few seconds later, he sighed tiredly and said, "Like I've said, I'm not possessive. Nii-san can fall in love with anyone he wants to or do anything he wants to. It's his freedom and I won't take it away from him. You know how my older brother is; he does what he wants regardless of who or what stands in his way. As for falling in love or plain liking someone, I can accept anyone except for that pureblood bastard."

"Eh? But Kaname-kun's a male, isn't he?"

"Oh, right? I forgot that most don't really know but Nii-san doesn't care about a person's gender. He flirts with both men and women. . Anyone that Nii-san deems to be interesting and worth his attention. I'm only thankful that those so-called interesting people are quite a few or else he would've been flirting on a daily basis. I don't need him acting like that damned Aidou-senpai. Anyway, Tou-san was the one who cultivated that particular trait. I swear that Tou-san's sense of humor was also skewed. Kaa-san wasn't any help. She just laughed when I told her and let those two do whatever they wanted," Ichiru stated honestly, his eye twitching as he remembered those times.

"…I see," Kaien stated blankly. He was pretty shocked. He had honestly thought that Shirou had stopped that habit.

Kiryuu Shirou was the model hunter. Calm, collected, intelligent and very powerful. A lot of aspiring hunters wanted to be just like that man. He also had a charm that drew others to him and that was why he was nominated to be the next Head of Hunter Association. What those people didn't know was that Shirou was also a terrible flirt. It didn't help that his charm allowed him to get away with most things that normal people won't. Everyone liked him and he used it to his advantage. Upon marrying Madoka, Kaien was sure that Shirou had left those days behind.

Now, Ichiru had proven to him that sadly, Shirou didn't leave those days behind. What's more is that Shirou apparently passed that on to Zero who was the most troublesome person on the entire planet!

_I'm never going to have a peaceful life with these two around, _he thought in defeat.

"Why do you think he has designs on Kaname-kun?" he said, changing the subject.

Ichiru's eyes turned darker and he clenched his fists tightly. "Nii-san told me that Kuran bastard is interesting."

"…"

"I don't see what's interesting about that bloodsucker. He's the most uninteresting guy in the world," Ichiru said heatedly. "I won't hand my brother over to a loathsome guy like him. I won't let him take away the only family I have left." _He's the one who ruined my family. Tou-san and Kaa-san are dead because of him._

Ichiru gave Kaien a mirthless smile.

"Kuran Kaname will never have my brother. I'll make sure of that."

**- xXx -**

"There's no doubt about it. I'm seriously regretting ever going to this mission. I should've known something was bound to go wrong," Takamiya Kaito uttered with all the venom he could muster as he ran across the maze-like halls of the prison. "Ever since I arrived at this weird town, my luck started to turn crappy." He gave a sideways glance at the redhead running alongside him. "This is your entire fault, Karina. If you just kept a low profile on _your_ assignment then none of _this_ would've taken place. I should've just ignored you when you asked for help that time in the marketplace. Might've saved me a lot of trouble."

The said redhead bristled at the remark.

"How dare you blame me for this mess, you self-righteous prick! Why don't you try for once in your life to admit your own damned mistakes? No wonder you don't have any friends with an asshole-ish attitude like that. Serves you right, _Baka Kaito!_" Inoue Karina hissed, her emerald green eyes blazing in anger.

There was no way in hell Karina was going to let Kaito have the last word in this argument. To think she once thought that he was cool and good-looking. Reality turned out to be such a harsh mistress. She found out later on that Takamiya Kaito was another arrogant prick in the long line of pricks inside the Hunter Association. She knew then that she was never going to get along with him and it turned out to be correct because Kaito was probably the most infuriating bastard in the association. He was the king of all bastards in her opinion.

Kaito snorted indecently, something few would ever see. "I didn't make any mistakes in here, Karina. This was all yours. _Like always._ Try looking at yourself first before accusing me of something. Who knows? You might learn a valuable lesson or two from it."

Anger exploded through Karina, a white-hot lance that consumed everything in its path.

"You god damned arrogant piece of shit!" she said, her voice rising with each word.

"Bitch," Kaito shot back.

"Fucking conceited bastard!"

"Talentless trash."

"Rotten, cold-hearted asshole!"

"You slut."

"How dare you call me a slut? I'm still a virg–" Karina stopped in shock then anger overtook her once more. "You shit! Forget I ever said that!"

A moment of tense silence and then, "Less arguing and more running," Kiryuu Zero interjected, his voice flat. It seemed to do the trick as the two vampire hunters ceased their ongoing insult match, though it didn't stop the two from glaring holes at each other instead.

The silver-haired immortal sighed and wondered briefly how Kaito and Karina could argue so constantly in such a crude manner. He had heard so many swear words and insults being exchanged by the two in just the span of five minutes. In all his years of existence, this was probably the first time he had dealt with this kind of situation. It was exasperating yet amusing nonetheless. Couldn't deny the amusing part because the two acted like cats and dogs.

_Speaking of dogs…_

He glanced behind him and saw that they were still being chased by the _dogs_ guarding this prison. Of course, he wasn't sure if those _creatures _chasing after them would be classified as dogs because frankly, they didn't look remotely like one.

The creatures had the vague shape of dogs, but they seemed far too bloated and warped from the inside. Each one was barrel-chested and had legs knotted with muscles so bulky that they made for a very grotesque sight. The teeth were overgrown in the gums that it protruded and splintered largely from the mouths making the drool pink with blood. The eyes were a predatory, dark crimson and set within prominent ridges of bone that shadowed them. The fur was bristly black with hints of crimson here and there, making the creatures seemingly hellish in that aspect.

He sought to test his strength against these fascinating creatures but he refrained from doing so. Now was probably not the best time for him to blow his cover. He was quite sure that there were hidden cameras all over the place tracking their current movements. He had to keep on pretending to be normal vampire hunter for as long as possible. It would be an advantage if he was underestimated by the enemy for now. After all, who knew what other weird creatures lay hidden in the depths of this prison. He'll remedy the notion of being seen as a weak nobody later on and preferably _after_ he was done torturing the bastard who ran this place. He already had a clear idea of what happened to the people who had gone missing and needless to say, he wasn't a bit pleased with the direction it was going.

His eyes hardened slightly as he thought more about this sudden and much unexpected turn of events. Whoever ran this place was one sick bastard and he felt like he would do the world a huge justice by exterminating the vermin from the face of the earth. There was no way he would turn a blind eye against someone who toyed with innocent human lives.

_You're a hypocrite, Silver King…Don't you remember that you had done much worse in your past compared to this man? Don't tell me you've forgotten your sins? For the sake of your so-called ideal peace you waged war against your enemies and tore your world apart in the process. So many lives were lost in your obsession for true freedom. Don't forget that you're nothing more than a murderer, Kiryuu Zero._ A dark voice whispered in the recesses of his mind.

_As if I'll ever forget what I've done. My memories would never fade. That privilege doesn't belong to me after all,_ he thought. _It is my burden to always remember everything. Especially the mistakes I've made._

He was broken out of his steadily growing darker musings when Kuran Kaname suddenly spoke.

"We should split up for now. No point in converging in one location with those things after us," the pureblood said tersely as they neared the end of the hallway that split into two different directions.

Kaito seemed to pause for a bit before he nodded his head in affirmation. He didn't want to get separated with Zero who was the main reason for this mission but it couldn't be helped. He was the only one in this group who had worked with Karina before and therefore, the only one who could make use of her talents the best. "We'll regroup later. I'll take Karina with me and head right. We're going to try and find where her weapons were stashed. It'll give us a clear edge if she has her sniper rifle and bombs with her," he said seriously. His previous banter with Karina lay forgotten as he slipped into his more professional persona. It was useful talent that allowed him to work quite well with people he actively disliked.

But it seemed that Karina had a different idea.

"Who said I ever needed your help, you asshat! I can do things fine by myself! Don't even think about following me, bastard!" the redhead huffed as she overtook a stunned Kaito and disappeared from sight.

As soon as Kaito regained his senses, he resisted the urge to scream out his frustration. Really, that woman was a menace. She couldn't help but bring more trouble for everyone in this mission. This was the reason why he hated going on assignments with the redhead. First of all, her personality didn't mesh well with his. Secondly, she hated his guts. Thirdly, _he_ disliked_ her_ guts. And the list went on and on.

"I better catch up with Karina before something more troublesome takes place. I swear that woman is a walking disaster," Kaito whispered heatedly, his left eye twitching.

"I guess I'll see you a bit later then, Kaito. Try not to get yourself killed along the way," Zero commented lightly.

"Roger that!" Kaito replied with a small smile as he turned right, intent on catching up to his errant comrade.

_Too nostalgic._

Zero remembered that this was how _his_ Kaito behaved. Their personality was too similar to each other and it was getting harder for him to think that they weren't truly the same person. This Takamiya Kaito wasn't his best friend and trusted right-hand man. The precious person who fought in a war with him and had always been there by his side. The one who stood by him despite his moments of madness and grief. It was dangerous – those thoughts of his. Because no matter how much he wanted it, _his_ Kaito died a long, long time ago. Everyone he loved and cared for were already gone, leaving him all alone. He had learned then that bonds like those tended to hurt him the most when it was time to finally say goodbye forever.

It was all because he became an immortal.

A being shunned by time and death itself.

Even if he wanted to end his own existence, he couldn't. Not that he was scared of ending his own miserable life. On the contrary, he tried a couple of times and discovered that the curse of immortality prevented him from turning his own blade against himself. With that option out, he tried fighting strong opponents but none were able to kill him. He even gave them the first few shots but _unfortunately_, he healed from the injuries quite easily. Even the supposed fatal ones.

Back then, he actively sought his own demise. He courted death just like a man would court a woman they wanted to bed but always, always it eluded his grasp. He chased after his end but it constantly left him behind. He remembered breaking down for a few hours the moment he realized that there was no way out of his predicament.

After the realization that his end was not close in sight, he just went to his default 'to hell with it' attitude and tried to make the best out of his immortality. It included mastering his powers to its highest peak, fighting strong opponents, playing various mind games with others, indulging his sociopathic side and so many more. He even remembered playing the bad guy instead of a good guy every once in a while. Anything to stave away his boredom of having an existence without any purpose.

He wondered then if _she_ knew how terrible and unwanted her supposed gift was and she wasn't doing him a favor. She should've let him die that day. It would've saved him a lot of heartache and would've done the world better if he died the way he was supposed to that fateful day.

After all, many would have celebrated the death of a monster like him.

That was why he could never get close to anyone again – close enough to bare his heart out. Though he spoke to others in a friendly fashion, cared for their well-being, showed them kindness and lived with them while holding that pleasant smile on his face, there was still a wall that separated him from them. Of course, he noticed lately that those walls were starting to crack, courtesy of Ichiru and Kaname. Those troublesome idiots had managed to worm their way deep into his nonexistent heart and _god damnit _– they weren't _leaving._

It wasn't a part of his calculations. Those bonds would surely sway him from his final act…

_My disappearance from this world._

None of them knew that everything that was happening in this world was only a past time to him. A game to stave away his constant boredom brought about by a long existence.

Of course, this was going to be his most memorable and dangerous game yet. Because in this world, he had finally discovered opponents who would be able to match him in both strength and wit. The other worlds he had visited didn't have those kinds of people. It excited him in ways he couldn't even imagine. That was why if he was going to disappear to another world at the conclusion of this long run, he wanted to go out with a bang. And what better way than to play an elaborate chess game with purebloods and vampire hunters. As soon as the game ends, he would finally disappear from everyone's lives. After all, _he_ didn't belong here. Kiryuu Zero wasn't supposed to exist in this world. Especially not someone who carried so much blood on his hands that he couldn't see much of anything else. There was no redemption for someone like him.

But lately, why did he feel like he belonged in this world? Why did he find himself wanting to keep on staying no matter how painful it is?

_Why do I feel as if my salvation can be found here? Why do I feel as if I'm making a huge mistake by disappearing from their lives forever?_ He thought with much confusion.

Kaname's voice suddenly brought him out of his conflicting thoughts, "In here!" the pureblood uttered as he kicked open the huge iron door that blocked their way with such strength that it was forced widely open.

A terrible smell wafted through the air as soon as he stepped inside the huge archway. Before the so-called dogs could get inside, Kaname had pushed the doors close with his powers. It seemed to Zero that pureblood had grown tired of hiding his abilities from their enemy.

"Hmm…I wonder what this room is for…" Zero mused to himself as he moved a little deeper inside the large room but since the place had no light whatsoever, he couldn't see much of anything at all.

_I wonder why I have such a bad feeling about this room, _he thought, perplexed with those strange feelings he had. He tried to gauge the interior but to no avail; it was far too dark to see anything. It seemed he had no choice but to enhance his senses despite his close proximity with the pureblood. _Well, it's not like he'll find out anything significant by this display. On the contrary, it'll serve to make him guess more about my true identity._

After that notion, his eyes turned to a bright electric blue and as he gazed around the large space, he saw everything as clear as day. This room was supposed to be a dining area or a meeting hall in another life, but that moment it was a slaughterhouse. There were bodies scattered everywhere, many ripped to shreds. Streaks of blood covered the walls from floor to ceiling. The red liquid dripped down into dark puddles and began to coagulate. The smell was almost unbearable. Pieces of internal organs littered the room, coating everything with the sick scent of fecal waste. The remains were still warm; it seemed that the crime was rather recent.

"Who or what could have done something like this?" he whispered to himself.

Meanwhile, the squish of Kaname's shoes over the paste of human flesh drowned out Zero's whisper altogether as the pureblood moved closer to the almost intact bodies. There was something wrong with this sight but he couldn't place what it was.

A sudden splash in a blood puddle turned Kaname's focus away from the corpse. He then spun on his heel. He saw an odd figure crouched behind an overturned table. The stranger approached the brunette, blood and guts squishing with each awkward step. It was slightly hunched over, holding something in its hands. Unafraid, Kaname started to address the stranger directly, but his words morphed into a shocked gasp.

As the stranger moved into his line of sight, he saw that it was no human, but instead a grotesque vampire. _Twisted irreparably just like those dogs,_ he thought suddenly. The_ vampire_ was covered from head to toe in gore, jagged fangs jutting at various angles, the creature held a woman's blood-soaked head in its hand.

Truly, there was something wrong with it, even for a vampire.

It then screamed, a horrible sound, as it leapt for Kaname.

The pureblood braced himself for the attack. He set his back foot on a relatively clean patch of floor to avoid slipping. The vampire sailed through the air quite easily. He flexed the muscles in his arms and back, preparing for his attack.

_BANG!_

The sound of gunshot and a flash of silver light interrupted the silent combat. The vampire skittered to the ground in a heap. Furious, it tried to scream, but its innards frothed up in its mouth. Its arms and legs flailed as if pulled by separate strings. The large vampire spat and writhed down in the mess. As it attempted to stand, it was suddenly riddled with bullets. The vampire's extremities exploded. Fingers and toes flew in every direction. The vampire seized and spasmed.

Kaname had pulled back before the second shot fired and watched the display with critical eyes. Every bullet had found a critical mark and it proved that Kiryuu Zero was skilled with a firearm.

"That wasn't a level E. I'm not even sure that could be classified as a vampire anymore," Zero said gravely.

Kaname nodded his head. "The feeling I got from that creature was the same as those dogs that chased after us. I don't want to admit it but there are a lot of secrets hidden inside this place. What we stumbled on is probably just the tip of an iceberg."

Zero groaned in defeat. "Just our luck to get caught up in something like this."

After a moment of silence, Zero pointed his gun to the floor and shot twice.

"What are you thinking, Zero?" Kaname asked but found his answer a second later. Looking down, he could see the squirming remains of the mutilated vampire attempting to regenerate. "Super fast regeneration? Most probably a result of some kind of experiment. I can see that some of these corpses are vampires."

"The missing people from town were probably killed for food."

"Such a despicable guy. More and more, I want to kill him in the worst way possible," Kaname uttered venomously as he heard Zero's theory regarding the missing townspeople. He might be indifferent most of the time to other people's problem and wasn't averse to using others for his own gain. Also, he could admit to himself that he wasn't a picture perfect example of a good guy. But he mostly kept himself in line and this act was way beyond that morality line. He vowed to himself then that he would not to show any mercy to the despicable bastard.

Zero's face remained blank but his blue eyes were bright with anger. "You're not the only one who thinks that way. He crossed the line he wasn't meant to cross. If any of those creatures make it out of this place, I could already imagine the number of casualties that would result," he said in a dangerously calm voice.

"Zero?"

He couldn't allow something like that to happen in this world. Flashbacks of the deaths and despair that he saw from his world ran through his mind. _So many senseless deaths. _The silver-haired immortal curled his hand into a fist. Pain and useless rage had him wanting to use it. On a wall or whatever else might be handy. Bloody and bruised knuckles would be a small price to pay if they brought him even a small measure of relief.

He realized that his emotions were taking too much control of his actions but he found that he didn't care about it now. He would indulge his bloodthirsty side and destroy everything that his enemy threw at him. He would kill that man on this mission no matter what it took. He couldn't allow such abnormalities to escape this place and wreak havoc on the outside world.

"We should leave, Zero. The mission is still far from over and it's about time we end it once and for all," Kaname stated.

Zero seemed to not have heard the pureblood because he only kept on staring at the gruesome sight, his expression clouded over. Kaname was quite surprised upon seeing that look on the silver-haired man's face. He knew Zero quite well or at least he liked to think he had and never in all the time had he seen the silver-haired man so livid. Even when they argued heatedly, Zero was never angry like this.

"I'm done pretending to be weak. After all, this isn't as enjoyable as I first thought," Zero muttered under his breath. This mission had finally rubbed him the wrong way and he wanted nothing more than to vent out all of his frustrations and what better way than to lay some smack down on the man who dared to piss him off. He took back all of his words about wanting to be underestimated. Now, he wanted the idiot to know that he made a grave mistake in making him an enemy.

His eyes changed color once more. From silver amethyst to a glacial blue. He waved his arm and all of a sudden, black flames erupted from out of nowhere. The unique and somewhat beautiful fire devoured the corpses easily, burning them all until they were nothing more than ashes.

_I'll teach that man a lesson he would never forget. I'll show him what it means to pick a fight with the Silver King,_ he promised to himself.

Zero closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. After all, anger was counterproductive. Anger would get him nowhere. With that said, his anger faded into the background and cold indifference took its place. He opened his eyes and resolved himself to stop playing around. It was high time he finally took this mission seriously. He chanced a glance at the pureblood and noticed how Kaname was staring intensely at him.

Kaname for his part knew that Zero was strong but this was truly something else. He wondered briefly if the silver-haired man was a pureblood in disguise but that was an impossibility. He knew each and every one of the pureblood vampires still existing in this world. But still, it might be a possibility. It was too soon to rule out that hypothesis. After all, Kiryuu Zero's abilities were far too powerful to belong to a human even if he _was _a vampire hunter.

He had never met anyone with that kind of power before. It was true that flames were common abilities for noble vampires and even purebloods. Kain Akatsuki, a primary example of that. But Zero's flames was too different and admittedly, unnatural. It was also very potent judging from the way it burned the bodies in mere seconds and not to mention the color – black as night.

No wonder the man wasn't scared of him. When he put everything into equation, Zero might as well be on par with him and the other purebloods.

_What are you, Kiryuu Zero?_

"I told you before, didn't I?"

Zero's voice suddenly broke through his musings and Kaname noticed that it was said with a hint of amusement. _Ah, he's finally back to his usual self_, he mused to himself. He also noted that it was as if the silver-haired man read his mind.

Zero smirked before he said, "…_it's a secret."_

**- xXx -**

"Our guests this time around are putting on quite a show. It looks like they'll be able to keep us entertained right to the last stage." A man said those words arrogantly as he paced a rather lavish room with a cruel smile on his features.

"Oh? I wanted to play with them directly. They seem much more competent than the others we played with," a sultry feminine voice stated. "I especially like the one called Zero, he's very beautiful for a male. Silver hair and bright blue eyes. The Kuran heir is quite pretty too but I seem to like Zero more. He's very unique and I like beautiful things."

"You can do whatever you want with that man. But leave the Kuran to me. Rido-sama wants him dead and I intend to deliver. We also need to get rid of the other two hunters. I think our experiments could use another test run, what do you think, my dear?"

"Yes, I believe they do."

From the security feed on the television on their left, several level ends growled menacingly. Their crimson eyes shone brightly and long fangs were bared in anticipation, waiting for their next prey – the unfortunate ones who would come upon them.

* * *

-**chapter **05 **end-**

* * *

**Silvermaiden's Notes**

A very big thank you to all readers who've taken their time to review this story! Everyone truly had inspired me to continue on with this very long fic! Also, thanks to those who've recently added this story to their favorites and alerts list. I hope you guys enjoy the next chapters! =)

Finally, I've finished this chapter. I spent so much time writing and erasing and writing the whole thing all over again until I was satisfied. -sighs- I apologize for taking so long and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter despite its shortness. Only one chapter to go before heading back to Cross Academy where the next arc would take place. Next chapter is the conclusion of this mission and the relationship between Zero and Kaname would move just a _tiny bit_ closer. =)

Hope to see you guys next chapter!

Please read and review!


	7. 06 Disturbance of Fate (Part 3)

**Immortal Guardian**

06

_**Disturbance of Fate (Part 3)**_

* * *

"_It's because we're friends now. I would protect you just as much as I would anyone else that was close to me and needed my help."_

_Kaname Kuran_

* * *

"_Do you fear me now as well, Kaito?"_

"_Zero-sama…"_

"_Do you see now what kind of person I truly am? This is the true face of the man you swore to follow to the ends of the earth. I'm not a good person. I never was and never will be. The others are right, you know? I'm nothing more than a murderer with a god complex. I was always so confident that I could change this world according to my ideals. I reasoned to myself that it was for the good of everyone else. For that cause, I needed to be strong – strong enough so that only a few could oppose me. When I finally gained that strength, I said that it was to be used to protect others. But deep inside, I felt differently. There's a part of me that said I became strong because I wanted the world to suffer just as I had suffered – just us all of us who were considered the outcasts of society had suffered. I wanted everyone to feel a fraction of the pain I felt all my life."_

"_There's nothing wrong with that, Zero-sama. You're not the only one who thought that way every once in a while. It's human nature to sometimes think negatively and to curse others for their fate. Heck, I also thought that way in the past."_

"_Do you really believe that?"_

"_I do."_

"_Well then, what if I told you that the one thing I want from this world now is not to save it but to destroy it? Would you still agree with me?"_

"_I would. My loyalty is to you and you alone, Kiryuu Zero-sama. But before that, I'll ask you why you want to destroy that which you tried your best to protect before. I want to understand you first. To see why you would want to do something like that."_

"…"

"_Zero-sama, I –"_

"_This world is so ugly and terrible, Kaito. I've always wanted to change it and create the ideal world where everyone could live in peace. It's a beautiful sentiment, isn't it? But I don't think I can achieve it. Not with the way I am now. My heart is being consumed by the darkness inside of me. I have lost far too much and I fear that I would soon lose my sense of self as well. I am a being bound by hatred and anger. I am a demon in human form. I could control my darker side because there are people here who are important to me but if the day comes that I finally lose everyone I care about to this war, I fear that I would give in to my inner darkness and see to it that this world would burn to the ground."_

"_Touga-sensei wouldn't want that kind of thing to happen. He loved this world far too much despite how much he suffered just by surviving."_

"_Yes, I believe he wouldn't. But then again, he's already dead. The opinion of someone long gone wouldn't matter anymore. Not now, not ever. And you know what? It's practically my fault that he died. Just like always…" _

"_You're wrong. His death wasn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself for things out of your control."_

"_I've always wondered why I can never protect the ones I truly want to protect. I realized that maybe I am cursed because no matter what I do, regardless of my good intentions, I always ruin every person I touch and care about."_

"_You seriously can't believe that, can you?"_

"_I am merely stating facts, Kaito. I hurt everyone else just by existing. I should've never been born or better yet I should've been successful in killing myself all those years ago. I was born with abilities that made others believe that I don't belong and I shouldn't live yet my parents loved me and because of that, they had to die an early death by protecting me from assassins. I tried to shield my brother from the darkness of this world but in the end, he grew to resent me and swore to kill me. I took a student and molded her into a fine warrior while pretending to be oblivious to her feelings then I took away her only family and drove her into madness. The first woman I ever loved was targeted by my enemies; her fears regarding her fate consumed her and ultimately she betrayed me. Now, the closest person I had to a father is dead because I was too arrogant of my abilities. You should just leave me alone, Kaito, before I destroy your life as well."_

"_You won't, Zero-sama."_

"_How can you be sure of that? Evidence says otherwise." _

"_Despite what you may believe, I won't ever leave your side. I promised to follow you to the ends of hell and I stand by that promise. If you want to destroy the world, then I'll be there right beside you watching it burn to the ground. You want to save the world, then I'll be there fighting alongside you to protect it. You want to leave all of this mess behind; I'll go with you no matter where you want to go. Nothing you tell me now would change anything about our relationship."_

"_Kaito…"_

"_I promised years ago to stay by your side and my promise means everything to me. I wouldn't be the person I am now if I never met you, Zero-sama. My life is yours; do with it, what you will."_

"_You're an insufferable idiot, Takamiya Kaito. I don't understand what you see in me. I'm not exactly the greatest person in the world to be with."_

"_You don't see it like I do but you have a lot of good qualities despite your moments of insanity, my Silver King."_

"_I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. But nevertheless, thank you…"_

"_You're welcome."_

**- xXx -**

Kiryuu Zero wondered if he and Kaname were heading straight into a trap. After the fiasco at the dining area of this prison, he had the impression that they would run into other unnatural creatures like that distorted vampire or those ugly hounds yet none had greeted them at all. It was unusual and somehow had '_very obvious trap ahead'_ written all over it. Considering that there was only one way heading forward, they really had no choice on the matter. He also didn't feel like going for the subtle approach which would take a lot of time and effort and right now, he didn't feel like wasting any more than he should. He wanted to get this mission over with by killing the bastard who pissed him off so he could go home and sleep and afterwards explain to his younger brother why he failed to mention anything about this mission.

He had the feeling that Ichiru was causing a storm back at the academy since he didn't tell the younger Kiryuu about this particular assignment. He suddenly wished he could see his brother's reaction. Ichiru could be so expressive when it came to showing his extreme dislike for Kaname and Kaito and to be honest, it amused him to no end.

He was aware that his younger brother could be handful and he felt a bit sorry that Kaien would have to deal with it. But then again, Kaien did deserve it for all of the crap he pulled on him back in the past. Thinking about all of those stupid requests and favors, Zero concluded that he didn't feel any ounce of remorse any more. Kaien would have to deal with the mess and he hoped the idiot suffered the more for it.

He then thought about how Kaito and Karina were faring since they separated. Since their luck seemed to be bordering on the bad side and wouldn't be changing any time soon, he had no reason to doubt that those two would've also ran into some weird creature bent on killing or maiming them.

He was currently entertaining thoughts about how Kaito would react to that particular roadblock when once again he felt a laser-like gaze on his back. At first he wasn't bothered by it but being subjected to that gaze for almost half an hour took a toll on his patience.

"Really, Kaname, there has to be a more subtle way of trying to figure me out," Zero pointed out flatly. "I can practically feel you boring holes into my back and it's terribly uncomfortable so unless you want me to deck you in the face for being an inconsiderate prick, kindly turn your gaze away from me."

Kuran Kaname sighed and complied with Zero's blatant threat to his person. Come to think of it, the pureblood realized at that moment that Zero was the first person who ever threatened or cursed him in such a blunt manner. Most of the others were too afraid of him to say those things in front of his face. But it seemed that Zero had no such compulsions. "It's because you insist on being vague," he replied mildly.

Zero leveled the pureblood with a flat stare. "As if you could talk about me being vague, Kaname. That's like the pot calling the kettle black. Besides, it's more fun for me to keep you guessing. You're not the only one who asked me that question and none of them were given a solid answer. So why should _you _be any different? Feel free to keep on guessing. Besides, at least now I know that Kuran Kaname, the infamous pureblood prince and all around inconsiderate prick, isn't as all knowing like others say he is." There was a teasing note in his voice that the pureblood didn't miss. "It must be annoying to be on the receiving end doesn't it, _Kaname-sama_?"

"It's safe to say that I will never get used to your brand of humor, Kiryuu Zero," Kaname stated in a dry tone. He didn't answer the question. The last thing he needed was for the silver-haired hunter to find out that his guess was indeed correct.

A sly grin curled Zero's lips and his silver-amethyst eyes shined with mischief. He then replied in an amused voice, "It's because I'm special that way, Kuran Kaname. Nobody can be exactly like me…even I have a hard time being me. Besides, I doubt I'll ever be someone normal with all these unnatural events happening around me. I could ignore it but given my default nature, I doubt I'll be able to turn a blind eye to it." He paused as a thought entered his mind. "Then again, I enjoy being _not_ normal. It's definitely more fun and I find it miles better than being bored out of my mind. Don't you feel the same way too?"

Kaname resisted the urge to smile at that form of warped logic. Really, Zero could be so childish at times. He was more childish at the moment than Ichijou Takuma which was saying something. But he had to admit to himself, that somehow that character on Zero was endearing to him. The silver-haired hunter was truly a fascinating individual and Kaname found himself wanting to know a lot more about Zero.

"I won't dignify that question with a response," Kaname stated in mock seriousness.

Zero laughed softly and the pureblood relished hearing his laughter though he didn't understand the reason _why._

"That's basically admitting that I am correct," Zero replied as soon as he reigned in his mirth.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence. A few moments later, the solitary path led the two towards an atrium and there they spotted a familiar face waiting for them.

"You two sure took your sweet time getting here. I've been waiting for ages all by myself," Kaito called out in a joking manner.

Zero noted instantly that Kaito had a few scratches on his skin and his coat had a few tears here and there but other than that, the hunter seemed fine. He looked around the vicinity and noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Karina? I thought she was with you," he inquired.

"I ditched her," Kaito replied without shame.

Kaname raised an eyebrow at the response and uttered, "Are you certain that it's wise to leave her on her own?"

"She might not look like it but she's a pretty good hunter. She'll be just fine on her own. Anyway, have you two come across any strange rooms?"

"Oh, you mean a room splattered with blood and entrails with a creature never seen before and bent on killing you? Then, yes we have," Zero answered. His tone of voice made it sound as if he was merely commenting on the weather.

Kaito sweat dropped at the reply. He had no idea how Zero remained so calm and composed at that sight. Kuran was a pureblood so he was exempted since purebloods rarely lose their composure. But Zero had no such excuses and Kaito wished he could be like that. He and Karina had been so surprised by the sight of a weird vampire-dog hybrid. He remembered the both of them using so many swear words that it would probably make anyone blush at the vulgarity spewing out of their mouths.

"Something is heading straight for us," Kaname said tersely as he gazed straight at the large archway in the atrium. There were two in the hall placed opposite of each other. There were also two further small doors set in the other walls – one they had entered from.

The three of them heard the creatures coming long before they saw them, and the sounds were coming from the large archway ahead of them, and coming fast.

"Oh hell, it's those damned ugly dogs again," Kaito muttered under his breath as he checked the chamber of his own gun and adjusted the knives hidden inside his coat for easier access. He then noticed that Zero was distracted by something. Before he could ask the silver haired hunter, the pureblood caught his attention and gestured for him to come closer.

Zero looked around the hall and tried to pinpoint where the level B vampire he had been feeling for a while was hiding. It was hard to know exactly where the spy was because there were just too many presences registering on his senses. He gave up the search for now and instead focused on the easier objective: eliminating the approaching creatures.

He watched from the corner of his eye as Kaito handed Kaname a short, narrow-bladed sword that had been hidden insides his coat. Zero was quite impressed by Kaname's high tolerance for pain since that weapon was an anti-vampire one. He wondered why Kaname needed to fight with a weapon. The pureblood was after all quite good at flexing his vampire powers and had no need for such things. But then again, this would be a good show. He had never seen Kaname fight without powers before.

_Looks like I finally get my wish to fight these things, _Zero thought with a tinge of wry humor. Remembering his earlier desire when he first found out about the creatures. _Too bad I can't use most of my abilities with so many witnesses here._

As the dog-like creatures came into focus, Zero fired his gun and Kaito followed a moment later. The first two dogs were shot to pieces by the initial salvo, but there were already more pouncing and snarling towards them. He leveled another and took the head off another one and he noted that Kaito discharged his gun into the flank of another before finishing it with a thrust of a dagger to the heart.

Two more were killed in the same manner. But the enemies were too numerous. One of the creatures almost got close to Zero, but he managed to direct the barrel of his gun into its mouth. A single shot and its brain was liberated from its skull.

Another dog appeared from out of nowhere and rushed towards Kaname. The pureblood evaded and lifted the sword. He thrust it onto the creature's side. It yowled in agony, skidding past him, and a moment later Zero was there to finish it off with a bullet. Zero pulled the blade from its ribs and threw it back to Kaname, not able to spare another instant as he tried to down another one.

"Take cover!" A female voice shouted all of a sudden.

Zero and the others didn't waste another second as they leapt out of the way.

Something was arcing through the air, thrown by Inoue Karina. The air was torn with an ear-shattering explosion and a flash of light bright enough to dazzle anyone. As the light faded, the remaining dogs were dead, caught up in the explosion.

"You're late," Kaito said flatly.

"Don't you know that the heroine arrives at the last second," Karina answered with a smirk. "Besides, I saved your ass. The least you could do is offer me thanks after ditching me earlier on."

"Don't forget that I saved your ass before this. Remember the incident at _that_ room," Kaito shot back. "We're even by my standards. Or maybe not. Considering I saved your ass so many times these past few years."

Zero didn't pay any attention to the escalating argument as he stared in surprise at his bleeding wrist. He tried to remember when he had gotten injured but the memory escaped him. He saw that it was bleeding pretty badly. He could heal it using one of his abilities but that would just catch Kaname's and Kaito's attention. He smiled faintly as he realized that this was the first time in many years he had gotten injured in battle. The sight of blood on his pale skin fascinated him after not seeing it for so long.

"What happened, Zero?" Kaname asked as he approached Zero. The scent of blood hit his senses and it came from Zero's direction.

"Just a scratch," Zero answered simply.

The pureblood sighed in exasperation as he saw the supposed scratch. The way it was bleeding and how deep it was couldn't qualify the injury as a mere scratch. He kept his opinion to himself though and instead tore a piece of cloth from his coat. He didn't know why he cared about Zero or why he was acting like this. What he did know was that he was drawn towards the silver-haired young man and it was too late for him to even think of distancing himself. If anything, he had the distinct impression that distance would only fuel his desire more. And the scent of blood wasn't helping matters.

"Even if you're more powerful than a normal human, you're not invulnerable. Take care of yourself a little bit more," Kaname said softly as he gently grasped Zero's injured wrist and looped the cloth on the bleeding cut. The pureblood was caught off guard when Zero touched his cheek lightly, a small stroke and then the hand was gone, but that one touch was enough to speed up Kaname's heart.

"Thank you," Zero murmured as he looked away. No one had ever been gentle like that to him in a very long time. He felt a bit warm as Kaname finally finished wrapping his wrist. He only hoped the pureblood didn't notice.

"We should get out of this place now before other more of those creatures come," Kaito suggested as he approached Zero and Kaname. He had enough of arguing with Karina and hoped that either of the two would be better company.

"Don't leave now. I want all of you to stay. After all, it's been a while since I've had such interesting subjects." A voice echoed from somewhere and all of them tried to find where the speaker was. A wicked laugh followed. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my laboratory. My name is Sei and I praise all of you for getting this far. However, I cannot allow you to leave especially since you know the truth about this place. Let's have a little bit of fun, shall we?"

He snapped his fingers and the sound of whirling gears were heard. Everyone looked up and saw that a huge wall was descending on their location.

Zero felt another vampire approaching in high speeds and it was heading straight for him. He readied himself but was caught off guard when Kaito tackled him away from the vampire. They crashed to the other side of the room just as the wall descended, separating them from the others and blocking their escape.

"Oh, looks like Kirara would have fun with those two," Sei said smugly as he faced the irate pureblood. "Is _Zero_ your friend? Judging from your glare, I think he is. Too bad he's going to die soon. Don't worry you'll join him in hell soon enough."

Kaname smirked as his eyes flared a bright crimson. He remained calm even as several powered-up level ends surrounded him. He could see Karina readying herself and knew that he wouldn't have to worry about her. "You have no right to call him by his name," Kaname said tersely. "Besides, I don't think your little partner will be able to kill him. Zero is strong enough to fight even by himself. And as much as I hate to admit it, Takamiya is a competent vampire hunter. I'm quite sure that _you_ should be the one worried about your partner."

**- xXx -**

"Our trouble never seems to end, doesn't it?" Kaito muttered tiredly as he leaned against the newly erected wall.

Zero smiled serenely. "Yes, I believe it does. But don't worry, I have the feeling that this mission is almost at its end," he said. "Isn't that right?" He turned his gaze to the left. The vampire who tried to launch a surprise attack on him appeared from the shadows.

"I wanted to have you because of your beauty but I realized now that's not a good idea," the female vampire uttered as she stalked closer, the nails from her hands lengthening and sharpening. "You're a dangerous element. Too dangerous to be kept alive. Rido-sama would thank me for destroying you before you become even more a threat."

"I doubt you'll be able to kill me easily. But you're welcome to try," Zero responded. He turned to Kaito, "I'll take this battle. Just hang back and watch."

Kaito smirked and moved back, knowing that this was his chance to see Zero in action. "Be my guest."

Kirara watched for any sign of movement from the hunter in front of her. There was something quite mysterious in the aura of this particular human and she was a bit unsettled by it. She tried to look for openings but found none at all. She didn't want to admit it but she knew she would be in for a hard battle. Also, she was unnerved by those eyes. Those bright silver eyes seemed to know just about everything. It was as if he could see through things she couldn't. What kind of human is he? No, she had to focus. This man was just a pathetic human. He wouldn't stand a chance against a real vampire.

"I saw what you and your partner did to those poor humans. Vermin like you don't deserve to live. This world would be better off without pests like you," Zero said softly as he closed his eyes for a moment. "I'll end your life here and now, _vermin_," he continued as he opened his now bright blue eyes and gazed at the vampire who couldn't hide the fact that she was astonished by the sight.

"Give me your best shot, you damned hunter!" Kirara shouted.

She lunged but Zero avoided the attack with ease and went behind her. She followed his movement and tried to deliver a slash from her nails as he turned around but it was met with a sound of metal striking against metal. She saw in the hunter's hand a silver gun. It was the same anti-vampire weapon he used to dispatch those experiments she had unleashed earlier on. She jumped away from a kick aimed at her gut and dived instantly as he fired off a shot. She rolled to stand and rushed once more at the hunter.

Zero avoided the slash of her nails before it even came close to grazing him. He saw her smirk as she raised her hand and bright orange flames were hurled in his direction. He evaded the fire as he moved backwards consecutively, not letting the flames reach him. He jumped and landed a few feet away from the vampire.

"I thought you said you'll kill me," Kirara said arrogantly as she watched Zero avoid her attacks and who seemed to have no intention of striking back now. She knew that she would win this. No one had ever managed to escape when she finally used her powers. "You seem to be doing a lot of fleeing lately. Pretty pathetic of you, hunter. All bark and no bite?" she taunted.

"A fire user. That's a rather nice ability to have. I should've known you'll be able to do that since you're a noble vampire," Zero commented off-handedly. "It would've been nice to play fire with fire. But I don't want to waste any more time. It's about time we end this little fight."

She managed to react in time as Zero moved with something akin to vampire speed and appeared before her. She deflected a kick and countered with a punch that only met with the hat the young man was wearing. Her vision registered the unique silver hair and suddenly comprehension dawned on her. She should've known from the beginning when she noticed that particular feature. _One of those old hunter clans?_ There was no mistaking that this man was a true Kiryuu. She wondered briefly how she could've missed that simple fact when it was so obvious.

Old hunter clans were on a different league from normal hunters. Their hunter arts and combat styles were made to combat high level vampires. She was far too weak to face off from one and knew that now she would be paying the price.

"Like I said earlier, it's time to meet your end," Zero said as he maneuvered himself to Kirara's back and before the vampire could react, he fired Blood Rose from the back and the bullet went straight to her heart. He watched distantly as she began to crumple to the ground.

"W-What the h-hell are y-you?" Kirara choked out as she slumped to the ground, the light fading from her eyes.

Zero smirked. "A lot have asked me that question and my answer still remains the same," he replied. "_It's a secret."_ As soon as those words escaped his lips, black flames appeared and devoured the female vampire's body.

He looked at the wall and saw cracks starting to appear on it and knew that Kaname was also finished with his own battle. He turned his attention to Kaito who was staring at him in disbelief, probably from what he witnessed from the fight. He sighed and leaned close to whisper on the hunter's ears, "I know you have so many questions you want to ask me, Takamiya Kaito. But now isn't the right time to discuss it. Meet me tomorrow night at the gates of the academy and I'll tell you some of my secrets."

He moved away as the wall finally collapsed and he saw Kaname staring at him with something akin to relief in his eyes.

"I see you've finished the battle without any injury this time," Kaname said.

"Well, it's because you told me to take care of myself more," Zero replied lightly. His expression turned serious as he said, "He got away, didn't he?"

"He's a coward through and through. He took advantage of my occupied state to make his hasty retreat," Kaname uttered with a sigh.

"Hmm…Don't worry, Kaname, I won't let him escape that easily. After all, I'm a _hunter_. And now he's become my prey."

**- xXx -**

Sei finally stopped running for his life as soon as he reached the forest outside the accursed town. He looked behind him and was immensely relieved that none of his enemies had managed to follow him. He then punched a hole in the tree and bared his fangs as anger surged through him. He was so close to finally accomplishing his goals but those meddling fools had to come and destroy his life's work. He knew that Rido would not be pleased with this setback. Kuran Rido treated everyone like pawns to be discarded as soon as their usefulness expired. Because of this mistake, he was certain that he would be punished gravely or be put down like some kind of rabid animal.

_No!_

He couldn't die. Death was something he would never allow himself to accept.

Sei knew that there were still experiments he hadn't accomplished, projects still underway, and things that have yet to be discovered. His quest for the creation of the ultimate vampire wasn't over. But he knew that Rido would never listen to any of his excuses.

_If only that silver-haired hunter didn't kill Kirara. She would've been useful in redirecting Rido-sama's anger,_ he thought lividly. He had felt Kirara's presence vanish and he knew that it only meant she was already dead.

His eyes widened as an idea hit him and a few seconds later, he smirked cruelly. _That damned vampire hunter. _He remembered just now why the man's name seemed familiar. It was the same hunter that Rido was interested in yet still largely unknown to the pureblood. His master had been trying hard to find anything of the mysterious man. And now he had seen first hand what the man could do and if he reported his findings to the pureblood, then maybe he wouldn't be punished for his mistake.

He would use his discovery about Kiryuu Zero's abilities as some kind of bargaining chip.

_Yes, that would work out perfectly well._

He would tell the pureblood everything he knew about the mysterious hunter. Like the fact that the man could make black flames appear from out of nowhere. Or even the fact that the hunter seemed quite close to Kuran Kaname.

As he pictured the way the confrontation earlier went, he realized that he had never feared a human before, even those annoying vampire hunters weren't people he was frightened of. To think after so long he would feel an emotion like this.

Kiryuu Zero was the first hunter to ever terrify him. That was why he chose not to fight the hunter and hoped that Kirara would use the element of surprise to kill him.

That silver-haired man had a malevolent aura like most purebloods and it was so dark that it suffocated him. The moment he met that cold blue gaze, he had seen flashes of his own death. _Too dangerous._ His master was not aware of the threat that hunter posed and with the hunter working together with Kuran Kaname, he believed that his master wouldn't stand a chance.

_Tap._

_Tap._

_Tap._

He heard footsteps coming towards him.

Sei felt his blood turn to ice. It was as if freezing fingers gripped his heart with chilling dread.

_The same dark presence!_

Whoever was approaching almost had the same aura as the silver-haired hunter. It was a bit lighter but for a class B vampire like him, it was still enough to frighten him out of his wits.

He tried to leave using his inhuman speed but before he could take one step, all of his limbs became frozen in place. His eyes widened in fear as thick vines wrapped around his arms and legs, binding him to the trunk of a tree. He struggled wildly but to no avail. It was as if the vines were made of solid steel.

"Zero-sama is mine. He has always been mine. Only I have the right to face him in battle. Pathetic trash such as you doesn't deserve to fight him let alone be in the same room as him." A female murmured in a silky, deadly voice.

Sei watched as a young woman in a black gothic Lolita dress appeared from the shadows, her features hidden by a large wide-brimmed hat.

"Who the hell are you?" He shouted as he thrashed against his bindings.

She giggled heartily before she answered, "I'm someone from Zero-sama's past. The mistake born from his desire to achieve true peace. The one whose life he ruined and whose trust he betrayed. The one who would finally destroy his steadfast will."

"W-What are you talking about? I don't have any clue about what you're saying."

She smiled serenely.

"It's quite normal not to understand what I'm talking about. I don't blame you for not knowing. But since you're going to die today, I believe I can tell you some things about the infamous Silver King," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. She tilted her head to the side as if she was solving a puzzle. "It's weird that you're still here though. It seemed that he's gotten much softer throughout the years. The man I knew from the past would've just murdered you without question. He certainly didn't hesitate in killing my older sister or even his own younger brother or hundreds of people who he thought got in the way of his goals. Perhaps after all these years of existence, he has finally grown a heart."

Sei pulled his face away as she grasped his cheek in a parody of a lover's caress. Her hands were as cold as ice and he wanted nothing more than to get away from her. The woman was truly insane. He didn't understand half of what she was talking about.

"I can sense your confusion, vampire, so let me enlighten you a bit to who he really is," she said kindly as she moved away and paced in front of Sei. "Kiryuu Zero is charismatic, easy to like, and hard to forget. He is very good at getting what he wants." There was a moment's pause before she continued and her voice turned as cold as her touch. "He is so damned manipulative and maybe that was what Shirabuki Sara and Takamiya Kaito loved about him. They were all the same in that regard. But among all of them, Zero-sama was the worst. He toyed with emotions and hopes and dreams of others without even feeling as shred of empathy or real emotions of his own."

Sei's confusion magnified as the woman spoke. The way she described the silver-haired hunter was far from what he observed from the cameras back at the prison. He had seen firsthand how the hunter was too protective of his allies and the emotions he saw when he faced the man was all real. The care, the worry, the sadness. All of those emotions were real. This woman was mistaken. She didn't know a thing about the hunter at all.

"I had the impression that he was an empty shell that mocked what it meant to be a human being," she continued unaware of Sei's private thoughts. "He certainly seemed incapable of thinking of anyone or anything else. He used and discarded others like toys and he killed without showing any remorse.

"But despite all that he did to me in the past, I still find myself loving him. I still want to make him mine. _Only mine and no one else's._ Especially not that pureblood's. It's weird, isn't it? Because I used to desire his death. Now, the only thing I desire in this world is to have him alive and all for myself no matter how broken he is. And I'll destroy anyone who gets in the way of _my_ goal."

She whipped her head behind her and smirked cruelly.

"Looks like your time is finally up, vampire-san. Zero-sama's already heading here," she said in mock tenderness. "It's time for you to die. Now that I've found him, I can't have him meeting me so soon since I want this _game_ to be more exciting. It's one of the things I learned from him. After all, mind games were always his specialty."

Without any hesitation, she plunged her fist straight into the helpless vampire's heart.

The last thing Sei heard before everything vanished into oblivion was the insane giggling of the young woman.

**- xXx -**

A mutilated figure was slumped on the tree.

The male vampire's clothing had been torn open to reveal a gruesome cavity in his chest.

His heart was missing…

Zero had combed the entire perimeter but the life-giving organ was nowhere to be found. Blood had puddled around the ground and splattered the nearby greeneries. It wasn't surprising in his opinion since having a hole punched through a body always generated a lot of blood.

_What a messy way to kill someone,_ he thought off-handedly.

He moved a bit closer to the vampire's bloody corpse and noticed that there were reddish marks around the wrist. It was as if Sei was restrained before he was ultimately killed. Zero's eyes narrowed at the familiarity of the vampire's execution style.

Back in his original world, this was how some vampire hunters killed rogue vampires especially high level ones like nobles or purebloods. After all, the bodies of high level vampires didn't turn to ash immediately after death. That was why this rather barbaric act was done by those who wanted to showcase their strength and fame to the whole community. He didn't know if such an act was allowed in this world considering the peace negotiations going on. And as much as he wanted to think that this was caused by some random hunter and could be nothing more than a mere coincidence, there was still that rather familiar presence.

He came to the conclusion that this was a message specifically intended for him.

He closed his eyes briefly as he realized that he needed to alter most of his plans for this world now that a new player had come into the game. And his first agenda involved this incident.

He waved his hand and burned the body into ashes with his signature black flames.

_Kaname and the others don't need to know that this thing ever happened,_ he thought seriously.

With the body gone, everyone would just assume that either Sei escaped this town or that he had killed the vampire himself. And that was what he was aiming for, considering that the one who killed Sei was someone connected to his bloody past.

He was still debating on whether he would inform Ichiru or Kaien about this new development. If he did, those two would worry endlessly and he didn't want that to happen. If he didn't, those two would be caught off guard by the enemy.

He sighed wearily as he commented to himself, "I never imagined in a thousand years that something like this would happen. I was under the impression that everyone from my world is dead but it seemed that I was terribly mistaken on that notion. Looks like I'm right in thinking that this world is different from all the other worlds I've visited. More interesting yet more dangerous as well."

His silver-colored eyes narrowed. The pupils shifted and for an instant, his eyes flared a bright blue.

He was momentarily caught off guard earlier by this surprising turn of event. To think he would now face someone from a past he wanted to forget. He would have to deal with this setback as soon as possible. He wouldn't allow himself to be killed that easily not now that he finally had a lot to lose. In the past though he would have gladly accepted his end but then someone had taught him the value of living. He now had a reason to live.

_I won't die. I won't let my enemies kill me. Not now that I've already come this far…_

As he turned away with the intent of heading back into town he finally said, "I wonder which of my dead enemies has risen from their graves. Who is this ghost that has come to finally destroy the immortal Silver King…?"

* * *

**-chapter **06 **end-**

* * *

**Silvermaiden's Notes**

A very big thank you to all readers who reviewed this story and inspired me to keep on continuing! Thank you also to those who've recently added this story to their favorites and alerts list. =)

Finally done with the three-chapter mission! I've spent so many days writing the short battle scenes and I hope that I've done a good job describing their actions. Those were the hardest parts I had to write in this chapter! =) I apologize for the long delay in publishing this chapter and I hope it was worth the wait. Now that the mission is done, it's back to Cross Academy and the beginning of the next arc which features Shizuka's return and Zero's new enemy.

Hope to see everyone next chapter!

Please read and review!

Also, I would be releasing a new KanamexZero story probably in the next month or two. It's entitled **Renegade Hearts. **Here's a little plot teaser: _How could you spend an eternity with the one person who could destroy you? Is love truly enough to break the barriers of a terrible curse?_

Aside from that, most of my stories (not including Immortal Guardian) are being edited to take out wrong grammars and give them a steadier plot so there wouldn't be any new updates for a while. But rest assured that none of them are being abandoned.


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